KQED's The California Report

Northeast San Diego County is becoming a battleground in the nationwide fight over congressional districts and control of the House of Representatives. Ballots are out now for a special election that could change several districts in California to give Democrats the advantage. Democrats are working on the ground in an effort to flip the congressional seat. Reporter: Jake Gotta, KPBS California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leading a coalition of 25 states in a lawsuit against the USDA. That's after the federal agency announced that it will not issue SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. The McKinleyville Union School District in far Northern California has sued the U.S. Department of Education over a mental health grant. Reporter: Jane Vaughan, Jefferson Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The World Series gets underway Friday night from Toronto as the Blue Jays take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall Classic. LA is looking to become the first back-to-back champs in 25 years. Toronto hasn’t won a championship since 1993. Guest: Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times President Trump says he will not be sending a surge of federal agents to San Francisco. This comes after a call with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. While that’s eased some concerns in San Francisco, across the Bay in Alameda County, tensions remain high. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Some of the same families that were forcibly separated at the U.S.-Mexico border during President Trump's first administration are being split up again. That's according to the ACLU, which is in a pitched battle with the government over what it says are violations of a federal settlement agreement. Reporter: Mark Betancourt, California Newsroom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Proposition 50 would temporarily let the legislature draw new congressional maps, a move supporters, including Governor Newsom, say is meant to stop gerrymandering and protect democracy. But opponents are calling it a partisan power grab, warning it could weaken the state's independent redistricting commission. One of the most vocal critics is Charles Munger Jr., a physicist and political activist who is the top donor for the No on Prop 50 campaign. Guest: Charles Munger Jr. Bay Area officials are pushing back on news of Trump administration plans to send dozens of Border Patrol agents to the Bay Area. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California civil rights advocates are calling on the federal courts to halt Trump administration policies leading to the arrest of asylum seekers, victims of trafficking and people attending immigration court hearings. A series of recent class action lawsuits argue: the arrests violate federal law and the U.S. Constitution. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks/KQED At an election cybersecurity forum hosted by USC, experts discussed how to maintain the system’s resiliency after the Trump administration knee-capped the federal agencies previously entrusted with that task. Reporter: Rachael Myrow/KQED Humboldt County is getting $75 million for mental health care. The hope is that it will relieve pressure on emergency departments and jails serving those in crisis. Reporter: Justin Higginbottom/Jefferson Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebuilding after January’s fires in Los Angeles County is underway for some people. But an Altadena family is facing what may be insurmountable financial obstacles. Reporter: Erin Stone/LAist Congressional Democrats plan to investigate reports that federal agents unlawfully detained U.S. citizens during the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Democrats in California attempt to convince voters to approve new maps next month to give them more seats in Congress, and Republicans fight back against the redistricting measure, both sides are relying on familiar political playbooks. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Hundreds of thousands of people took part in No Kings rallies across California on Saturday. In the conservative stronghold of far Northern California, more than a dozen communities also participated. That includes Chico. Reporter: Ken Devol, North State Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal immigration officials could be setting their sights on Sonoma county. A local supervisor says Department of Homeland Security officials asked in a meeting if the sheriff's office would notify DHS when undocumented immigrants are arrested.   Shandra Back, KRCB Farmers in wine country have been working at all hours to get their grapes off the vine before they rot. The harvest follows an especially hard season slowed by a cooler summer and made worse by other obstacles including tariffs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thousands of California families rely on in-home daycares for their kids. But after the housing market collapse in 2008, the state lost 30% of these types of child care settings, leading to a crisis. As part of its effort to rebuild, California passed a law in 2019 forbidding landlords and homeowners’ associations from refusing to rent to in-home child care providers. But that hasn’t stopped the practice. Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED California is joining 13 others to create an alliance aimed at coordinating public health policy-- a direct rebuke of the Trump Administration. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED 5.5 million Californians could soon lose their food assistance benefits, if Congress doesn't end the shutdown and approve a budget agreement. That's according to The California Department of Social Services, who oversees the program, CalFresh. Reporter: Nick Gerda, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In San Francisco, more people are now ordering Waymo robotaxis than Lyfts with human drivers. People are getting more comfortable using driverless cars. This got us thinking - is the same thing about to happen in LA? And how do human Uber and Lyft drivers feel about it? Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW A new state audit released this week finds that California’s public college systems aren’t doing enough to meet the need for student housing. Reporter: Sara Hossaini, KQED Downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea has never had street addresses. A recent vote by the city council will change that. The decision comes after multiple town hall meetings and input from residents. Reporter: Ngozi Cole, KAZU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A tiny California town in Sacramento’s Delta has struggled for decades, and within a matter of months, could face some big decisions on its status as a city. Financial choices over the years have put Isleton in a sink or swim situation– with talks of disincorporation or bankruptcy and what that could mean for the city’s 800 residents. Reporter: Riley Palmer, CapRadio The governor vetoed a handful of bills that aimed to advance reparations for Black Californians. Reporter: Guy Marzorati , KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices