KQED's The California Report

California schools must now adjust sports practices and games when it’s too hot outside. The state law went into effect this summer.Reporter: Mariana Dale, LAistA bill on Governor Newsom’s desk would ban employers from forcing workers to attend anti-union meetings.Reporter: Jeanne Kuang, CalMattersCriminal justice advocates are hopeful the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation into two California state prisons will bring much needed change. The investigation into facilities in Chowchilla and Chino comes after what officials say are "hundreds" of lawsuits and some criminal allegations of sexual assault. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The hot weather will continue across much of the state on Thursday. Triple digit temperatures are expected, and heat advisories have been issued for many inland regions. The extreme heat can be life-threatening for many Californians, especially those without air conditioning in their homes.Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPRCities that aren't following state housing laws are on notice: California Governor Gavin Newsom says he’ll sign a bill that will impose hefty penalties for those that don’t follow the rules.Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fentanyl is a dangerous narcotic that kills more than 100,000 Americans each year. Donald Trump and many other politicians say this deadly drug is regularly smuggled into the U.S. by undocumented immigrants. But experts said those claims are largely false. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS Two major California health plans have been hit with a combined $850,000 in fines for illegally denying coverage for gender-affirming care.Reporter: Shaanth Nanguneri, CalMatters   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new round of COVID shots is shipping to doctor's offices across California. And for the second year in a row, the federal government is not picking up the tab. Physicians have to order the vaccine weeks in advance and pay up front for the shots. And because of that, many are taking a more cautious approach when it comes to ordering the shots.   Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KFF Health News Thousands of migratory birds have died so far in an avian botulism outbreak in the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge.Reporter: Juliet Grable, Jefferson Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Highway 99 has its share of iconic landmarks: there’s Buck Owens Crystal Palace, the Delano Box of Mandarins, the McFarland Runners, and the Merced Mammoths. But in Madera County, you might not recognize the Palm and the Pine. The two trees are said to represent the middle of California and have been there for nearly a hundred years. But they might not have much time left.Reporter: Esther Quintanilla, KVPR California lawmakers passed a controversial warehouse bill on the final day of the legislative session, despite opposition from environmental justice groups, industry and cities and counties statewide.Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal labor enforcement authorities recover millions of dollars for workers each year from employers who break minimum wage, overtime pay and other laws. But a significant chunk of that money never makes it to wage-theft victims, many of whom are in California.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQEDState lawmakers are jockeying to push remaining bills through to Governor Newsom before the Legislature adjourns on Saturday. Reporter: Sameea Kamal, CalMattersA bill that would compensate people for property taken by racially-motivated uses of eminent domain is headed to the governor’s desk after being approved by the state legislature on Thursday.Reporter: Annelise Finney, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the state is dealing with a big budget deficit, it's harder to get bills with big price tags approved. But now, a handful of lawmakers say they think the Newsom administration purposely overestimated how much their bills would cost to help ensure they wouldn't advance in the legislature.Guest: Ryan Sabalow, CalMattersA milestone in the largest dam removal in U.S. history happened early Wednesday. Two temporary dams were breached, directing the Klamath River back into its historic channel for the first time in more than a century.Reporter: Juliet Grable, Jefferson Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bill making its way through the state legislature in Sacramento would commemorate a little-known chapter of US history: a large-scale deportation of Mexicans – and Mexican-Americans – nearly a century ago that hit California hard. It comes in an election year when mass deportation is again a political topic. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQEDUndocumented immigrants may soon qualify for a California program that gives loans to first time, first generation home-buyers. A bill expanding the program - known as The California Dream For All - advanced in the state senate on Tuesday.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve had a close loved one pass away, what comes next includes a lot of logistical hurdles: planning a funeral, reading a will, and deciding what to do with their body. There’s traditional burial, there’s cremation, and recently a new method has taken off. It’s called terramation. Basically, human composting.Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRWPublic school teachers in California are required to call the police if a student assaults or threatens them. This week, state lawmakers will vote on a bill that could change that.Reporter: Jenna Peterson, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the last week for state lawmakers to decide on a set of reparation bills meant to address hundreds of years of racial discrimination. Meanwhile in Santa Monica, one woman is still seeking justice decades after the city took her father's land. Silas White was a black entrepreneur who planned to turn the land into a beach club for black beach goers. In March, the Santa Monica City Council voted to explore compensating White's descendants for his plot of land. But in late July, the city missed its self-imposed deadline for a report that would have provided recommendations on reparations to the council.Guests: Connie White, daughter of Silas White and Kavon Ward, CEO of Where Is My Land State occupational health and safety regulators are trying to speed up their investigations of fatal accidents.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices