KQED's The California Report

Some homeless services providers in L.A. County are offering an innovative treatment option to help unhoused Angelenos quit using stimulants, like methamphetamine. It involves rewarding people with small gift cards when they pass a drug test. The simple approach has been around awhile, but is now making headway in LA’s homeless services sector. Reporter: Aaron Schrank, LAist In what it's calling a final decision, the Trump administration has killed $4 billion in federal funding for California's troubled high-speed rail project. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED New details are emerging from the recent immigration raid at a cannabis farm on the Central Coast. A US Army veteran says he was wrongfully detained and violently arrested by federal immigration agents, even though he’s an American citizen. Reporter: Gabriela Fernandez, KCBX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pregnancy should be a time of hope and care. But for many farmworkers in California's Pajaro Valley, it's a time of dangerous exposure to toxic pesticides. A new investigation by Santa Cruz Local reveals how people working in the fields are being put at serious risk. Guest: Nik Altenberg, Santa Cruz Local Half of the 4,000 National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles last month are being released from duty. Reporter: Destiny Torres, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California has taken on a grand experiment when it comes to its CARE Courts--a judicial approach to getting people struggling with severe mental health issues into treatment programs. The law, which went into effect statewide last December, empowers judges to mandate that a person with mounting mental health problems undergo treatment, whether the person consents or not. Orange County is taking a different approach, however--with something called "relentless outreach" in getting mental health treatment to those that need it the most. Lawmakers in Sacramento have proposed a bill that would prohibit online video streaming services, like Netflix and Amazon, from making their advertisements louder than the programs their viewers have subscribed to watch--and it has bipartisan support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration’s decision to cancel a federal food assistance program is hitting California’s tribal communities hard. For the Hoopa Valley Tribe, the funds help them provide fresh, local food for their elders and creates reliable income for their farmers. With funding set to expire this year, the tribe is scrambling to fill the void. Reporter: Izzy Bloom, KQED The Trump administration is appealing a federal judge's order limiting immigration agents from stopping or detaining people based on their race, ethnicity or occupation. Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a week since President Donald Trump signed the budget reconciliation bill into law, and California officials are still reviewing how this legislation will impact Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program for low-income residents, which covers 15 million Californians. Governor Gavin Newsom's office estimates that Medi-Cal could lose billions of federal dollars over the next few years, and on social media, folks on Medi-Cal are worried that they could lose their coverage soon. Guest: Carlos Cabrera Lomeli, KQED Federal authorities conducting an immigration raid at a legal cannabis farm in Ventura County clashed with demonstrators on Thursday. Reporter: Susana Canales Barron, Calo News An immigration sweep also took place at a cannabis farm in the Santa Barbara County community of Carpinteria. Reporter: Lance Orozco, KCLU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s small farmers are used to tough seasons. But this year, they’re not just battling drought or the rising costs of maintaining their farms. Small farmers say President Trump’s reconciliation bill could make it even harder to stay in business. Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report More dads in California are taking paid leave to care for a new child. Reporter: Elly Yu, LAist Transgender rights advocates are pushing back against a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday, contesting a California law that protects trans athletes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration continues immigration enforcement efforts across California. There's growing concern among the state's immigrant population about possible deportation. Many are not showing up to work. Some are even fearful of leaving the house at all. But one Central Valley resident made the difficult decision to leave the country on her own. Guest: Patricia Vázquez Topete U.S. Senator Alex Padilla is introducing a bill to require federal immigration officers to display ID.  Reporter: Nina Thorsen, KQED   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the Eaton Fire burned through Altadena, not only did it erase homes, but also family photos, heirlooms, and history. A group of volunteers is aiming to restore some of that history, through the voices of fire survivors. Reporter: Erin Stone, LAist Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is denouncing the actions of the Trump administration, after federal immigration officers swept through MacArthur Park on Monday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Santa Barbara Channel is a busy gateway-- for tourists heading to island parks, fishermen chasing the day's catch, and massive cargo ships ferrying goods along the coast. It's also home to some of California's oldest marine protected areas and a critical migratory path for endangered whales. But with as many as 20 ships passing through daily, those whales are at constant risk. Scientists estimate more than 80 are fatally struck by vessels off the West Coast each year. So what's being done to protect whales? Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED Authorities have found the bodies of all seven people who went missing after an explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Yolo County last week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Klamath River flows some 268 miles from inland Southern Oregon to coastal Northern California before emptying into the Pacific, crossing high deserts, mountain ranges, and forests. The Klamath watershed is also the ancestral homeland of the Yurok, Hupa, Karuk, Shasta and Klamath tribes. And it's an area prime for recreation, especially in the summer months. And the Klamath River is once again free flowing after being held back by four dams for the better part of a century. Guests: Danielle Venton, KQED and Gabrielle Canon, The Guardian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices