KQED's The California Report

In recent decades, Dr. Bronner’s evolved from a niche soap company to a powerhouse home brand with a worldwide following. But a recent wrongful death lawsuit makes some troubling allegations against the San Diego County-based company. The lawsuit alleges the company has turned a blind eye to an internal culture of drug use.Reporter: Scott Rodd, KPBS Riverside County’s firebrand sheriff is the first high-profile Republican to join the 2026 race for California governor. Chad Bianco kicked off his campaign on Monday at a banquet hall in Riverside. Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The tiny town of Scotia, California on the state’s remote redwood coast was built up entirely around a large sawmill. An attached biomass plant that burns the wood waste for electricity stands in the middle of a climate debate in the region. Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public RadioSome college aid experts in California are tying a recent drop in student aid applications to fears around immigration enforcement. Reporter: Mikhail Zinshteyn, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

American society often feels divided. But sometimes, even the most surprising things can bring us together. For a small Central Sierra Nevada community, residents recently found themselves rallying around an unlikely source. Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR Communities across California are waking up this morning to the damage left behind from Thursday's powerful storm system. The brunt of the damage was in Southern California.We'll learn on Friday the results of a strike vote by 20,000 University of California healthcare and other workers. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Artificial Intelligence is being touted as the next big advancement to take almost every industry into a new direction, and at one of the world's largest agriculture expos, AI evangelists see the new tech as the next big advancement in farming.Authorities in Southern California have issued evacuation warnings for parts of Los Angeles County that were scorched by wildfires last month, as heavy rains in the region increase the risks of dangerous mudslides in those areas.Meanwhile, in the Bay Area, an atmospheric river is pounding the region, causing roadway flooding and blackouts across the region. The National Weather Service said the storm could bring down as much as an inch of rain per hour in some parts of the Bay Area, as well winds reaching up to speeds of 60 to 70 miles per hour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thousands of people are attending this week's World Ag Expo in Tulare County. There’s plenty to choose from, depending on what you’re looking for. And for many in the farming industry, a big issue right now is bird flu.Guest: Lucas Fuess, Senior Dairy Analyst, Rabobank California's FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort, is asking for help paying customer claims due to the Eaton and Palisades fire. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The flames have died down at the Moss Landing battery storage plant in Monterey County, after a massive fire last month. But the environmental impacts may be just beginning. In neighboring Elkhorn Slough, a sanctuary for endangered wildlife, researchers have already found heavy metal concentrations up to a thousand times higher than before the fire. Reporter: Katherine Monahan, KQED Starting Tuesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and US Army Corps of Engineers will begin removing fire debris from private properties that were damaged or destroyed in the January wildfires in Los Angeles. The federal agencies will enter the properties of residents who submitted a Rights of Entry form. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a growing club you don’t want to be a part of. They’re the people who’ve lost their homes and had their lives turned upside down because of natural catastrophes. But getting through these events, whether they’re fires or floods, also means you can be a source of hope for others in their moment of crisis. One group is linking these extreme weather survivors, the veterans with the newcomers. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQEDOn Tuesday, the Bay Area city of Fremont is expected to vote on a new ordinance that would make it a crime to “aid or abet” an illegal homeless encampment.Reporter: Marisa Kendall, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California's electric vehicle sales are hitting a plateau after years of growth, raising concerns about meeting ambitious zero-emission goals. A major lithium project in Imperial County is back on track, sparking economic hopes despite environmental worries. Additionally, the state's rules hinder residents from accurately spelling their names with diacritical marks, leading to a cultural identity debate. Insights from lawmakers highlight the significance of name representation and challenges posed by historical language policies.

How much water is too much for California’s levees? That’s the question many water experts have been asking since President Donald Trump ordered the release of billions of gallons of water from Central Valley dams – and as big storms produced by an atmospheric river drenched much of the state.Guest: Emily Zentner, The California Newsroom A UCLA report finds the Los Angeles area wildfires have caused between $95 and $164 billion in total property and capital losses. Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leaning on hospitals to continue offering gender-affirming care for youth, calling President Trump’s recent executive order that threatens to stop funding treatments wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 16,000 structures were lost in last month’s wildfires in LA. Residents there are now beginning the difficult process of deciding whether they can — or even want to — rebuild. For those who do, experts and survivors of past wildfires say there are ways to build in some resilience against future fires. In Santa Rosa’s Coffey Park, that’s what many residents did after the 2017 Tubbs Fire decimated their neighborhood. Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQEDBig water releases from two Central Valley dams are leaving farmers flummoxed. It’s the result of an executive order from President Trump that’s supposed to help fight wildfires in Los Angeles. But the water is unlikely to reach its intended destination.Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices