KQED's The California Report

A proposal from Governor Gavin Newsom to build housing and mental health treatment beds for Californians experiencing homelessness was narrowly approved by California voters. Proposition 1 allows the state to borrow nearly $6.4 billion to build treatment facilities and supportive housing.Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Venues including fast food chains in airports, hotels and convention centers will be exempt from paying a new state-mandated $20 minimum wage to fast food workers.  That’s thanks to a bill California lawmakers passed earlier this week.Reporter: Olivia Zhao, CalMattersA new report from UCLA researchers finds that nail salon workers are being misclassified as independent contractors and missing out on pay and benefits.Reporter: Josie Huang, LAistA new affordable housing community with an innovative design opened in South Sacramento this week.Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadioThe calendar has been saying March for 21 days, but the main event -- March Madness -- starts Thursday. Five women's teams from California made it this year.Reporter: Ethan Toven-Lindsey, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National Association of Realtors, one of the most powerful real estate groups in the country, announced on Friday it would settle a major class-action lawsuit that had accused the group of artificially inflating the commissions its agents make in home sales. The settlement is seen as a seismic shift in the real estate market.Guest: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQEDIn the wake of multiple massive wildfires, some property insurance companies have severely raised their rates, or withdrawn from California altogether. A new proposal would create a method of calculating rates aimed at both bringing back those companies and creating more affordable policies. Reporter: Alec Stutson, North State Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The margin is still too close to call between Yes and No votes on Governor Newsom’s Proposition 1 mental health ballot measure. So close that opponents of the measure, who had previously conceded the race, have now withdrawn their concession.Reporter: Olivia Zhao, CalMattersHuntington Beach officials are considering privatizing the city’s library system at Tuesday's city council meeting. The discussion about privatization comes amid fierce debates over content and control over the city's library system.Reporter: Elly Yu, LA-istA years-old chemical reaction beneath the surface of one of LA County’s largest landfills has turned into a toxic headache for the tens of thousands of people living nearby. Air quality officials have slapped the privately-owned Chiquita Canyon landfill near Castaic with more than 130 legal violations, but fixing the problem won't be easy.Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not paying someone for a job they did is illegal. It’s called wage theft. But a KQED investigation found California regulators have failed to force the worst offender they cited in the state, to pay more than a tiny fraction of the millions of dollars in wages that he owes.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can California Legislate Its Way to Happiness?The newly formed Select Committee on Happiness and Public Policy Outcomes had its first meeting this week to explore the topic of 'happiness.'Lynn La, CalMattersIndian Students Lead Way for Increase in International Students in United StatesIndia's U.S. consular team issued over 140,000 student visas last year, more than any other country in the world. California remains a top destination for these students. But what is life like when they get here?Madi Bolanos, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Humanitarian Parole Program Can ContinueAn Oakland man is breathing easier… after a program that protects a Nicaraguan friend survived a court challenge by several Republican-led states. But with a notice of appeal filed this week, his relief could be short lived.Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Senior Immigration EditorPeople Incarcerated at San Quentin Graduate from Coding ProgramRoughly 50 people incarcerated at San Quentin are now one step closer to getting a career out of prison. That’s through a program that gives job training in skills like coding and audio production to prisoners.Billy Cruz, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Opponents of Proposition 1 are conceding that the state ballot measure -- aimed at housing Californians with severe mental illness -- is likely to pass. That result will allow the state to borrow money and shift existing mental health dollars toward building residential treatment facilities and affordable housing. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQEDAssembly member Vince Fong is the top vote-getter in the race to replace Kevin McCarthy. That means he’ll advance to the general election in November. But a special election for the same seat still needs to be decided.Reporter: Joshua Yeager. KVPRWhen a recruit enters boot camp, the Marine Corps controls virtually all aspects of their life...including, for many, where they bank. An investigation from KPBS in San Diego uncovered how the Marine Corps systematically enrolls thousands of new recruits each year into Oceanside-based Frontwave Credit Union.Reporter: Scott Rodd, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the Biden administration opened a new immigration court in the Bay Area city of Concord last month… it was part of an effort to cope with a nationwide backlog of more than 3 million cases. But a new spending deal just reached in Congress actually cuts the court budget.Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQEDWater is a key ingredient in brewing beer, along with hops and barley, but you rarely see it mentioned on labels. One Napa Valley craft brewer goes to extremes to source water from wells and springs throughout the region to use for different beers.Reporter: Tina Caputo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why We Keep Springing ForwardWay back in November 2018, California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 7, a measure that was supposed to keep us from having to adjust our clocks twice a year for daylight saving time. So why did we still have to “Spring forward”?Reporter: Oliva Zhao, CalMattersIn Trinity County, A Key Victory for the LandBack MovementThe Nor Rel Muk Wintu people in Trinity County finally have their own land. That includes 78 acres from an anonymous donor inspired by the LandBack movement.Some members hope it will help the tribe win federal recognition.Reporter: Jamie Jiang, North State Public Radio  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In California, young people who could vote, and are even registered, just aren’t doing it in big numbers. Tuesday’s primary election was no exception.Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald In his State of the Union address, President Biden addressed his push for a secure border, and how he’s been blocked by Republicans. California U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a strong supporter of immigration reform, invited a guest who highlighted a different side of immigration.Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQEDThe federal government has announced $72 million will be spent on connecting Tribal communities, including some in California, with reliable, renewable energy. The Yurok Tribe, whose reservation lands are located in and around Humboldt County, is one of the four tribes in California that received a part of this funding.Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices