KQED's The California Report

Federal agencies are considering a controversial rule that would restrict rock climbers from leaving gear attached to cliff walls in designated wilderness areas. This could affect some of California’s iconic routes in Yosemite and other historic climbing destinations.  Reporter: Alix Soliman, KQEDThe state legislature passed a placeholder state budget Thursday, just ahead of a mandatory deadline. But lawmakers must still negotiate with Governor Newsom on the final deal.Reporter: Alexei Koseff, CalMatters A bill that would ban “forced outing” or “parental notification” policies in California schools has moved forward in the state legislature. At least six California school districts in the past year have adopted measures that require staff to tell parents if their child changes their gender identity at school.Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a county’s only hospital closes, you might expect there to be dire, immediate effects on public health. However, since Madera Community Hospital closed its doors in early 2023, the consequences haven’t been so clear.Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPRCalifornia insurance regulators are sharing the next phase of their plans to fix the state’s ailing insurance market. The new regulations propose to let insurance companies use the catastrophe models they want, but in exchange, require them to offer more coverage in wildfire-prone areas of the state.Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California is expanding transitional kindergarten with a vision of making it available to every four-year-old in the state by fall of 2025. The state has a long way to go to reach its goal of serving 300,000 students. And while many families are eager to sign up, they face complicated logistics. Reporter: Blanca Torres, KQED Governor Gavin Newsom has removed an outspoken occupational safety expert from the regulatory body that adopts California’s workplace health and safety rules.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When school starts in 2025, every 4-year-old in the state will be able to attend public school. It’s a new grade known as transitional kindergarten. But in the lead-up, many schools are struggling to find the necessary classroom space for these additional classes.Reporter: Elly Yu, LAist A California law that set guidelines for classifying workers did not unfairly target Uber and other gig companies. That’s according to a federal appeals court ruling that came down on Monday.Reporter: Levi Sumagaysay, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California is in the middle of an ambitious plan to offer transitional kindergarten to all four-year-olds by the 2025-2026 school year. It's poised to be the largest free preschool program in the country. A lot of the kids heading to TK are dual language learners. But a shortage of bilingual teachers could hamper the state's ambitious goals.Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED A Superior Court judge has granted a temporary restraining order to the University of California, pausing the strike by thousands of academic workers who walked out over the UC’s response to pro-Palestinian protesters. But some legal experts are questioning that decision. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The California Supreme Court has ruled that UC Berkeley can start construction on student and supportive housing in People’s Park -- and also gave the green light to a much larger campus expansion project. The case has brought mixed reaction from the wider Berkeley community.Reporters: Adhiti Bandlamudi , KQED and Billy Cruz, The California Report A new report shows Sacramento County’s homeless population dropped 29% compared with two years ago. That’s one of the largest reductions statewide.Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadioCalifornia has funded over 4 million tax-free savings accounts for students to pay for college. But many families don’t seem to know the money’s there.Reporter: Jacqueline Munis, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are stars exploding all around us. They burst, flash and fade. Some leave visions of their spectacular journeys in telescopes. A high school student recently turned supernovae data into a piece of music.Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQEDPresident Joe Biden signed an executive order this week that shuts off asylum to most migrants who enter the country illegally. But it has critics on both sides of the political divide.Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Los Angeles' tourism industry, still trying to rebound from the pandemic, has gotten a gift in the form of Shohei Ohtani. Japanese fans have come by the thousands to see the superstar play for his new team, the Dodgers.Reporter: Josie Huang, LAistVotes in the election to recall the controversial conservative school board president in Temecula are still being counted. Early results show the effort to recall Joseph Komrosky winning by a 54-46 percent margin.Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With two-thirds of California’s unhoused population living unsheltered, cities are increasingly turning to tiny homes to get people off the streets quickly. Now lawmakers are considering a plan to make it easier to build them.Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQEDFor the second time, state labor officials have rejected the University of California's request to get a court order to stop the UC academic workers strike. This comes as workers from three more campuses are going on strike this week.Reporter: Billy Cruz, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans in California have struggled to gain power at the state capitol, but they’ve found more success recently on school boards. Conservatives have made gains in these local seats -- but now they’re facing pushback in the form of recall elections -- including two underway right now in Riverside County and the Bay Area.Reporters: Guy Marzorati, KQED and Madison Aument, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices