KQED's The California Report

Six people are presumed dead after a private jet crashed into a San Diego neighborhood early Thursday morning. Sound Talent Group, a music talent agency based in the San Diego area, confirms that it lost three employees in the crash, including co-founder Dave Shapiro. California is suing the federal government for blocking the state’s ability to set its own clean air rules. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED The decision to take down a climate security website at Monterey’s Naval Postgraduate School signals broader self-censorship there around climate research and scholarship. It comes in the wake of the U.S. Defense Department’s call to eliminate so-called “climate distraction” in the military. Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU The state legislature is considering two new bills aimed at improving conditions for incarcerated workers. Reporter: Sukey Lewis, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing an extension of the state's landmark climate program known as cap-and-trade. The program limits greenhouse gas emissions and raises money from polluters. And the governor has some controversial ideas for how to spend that money. Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED The US senate is moving ahead with plans to block California’s electric vehicle mandate. Late Wednesday night, Republicans sidestepped the filibuster and voted using a simple majority to clear a path to revoke California’s unique clean air rules. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lawyers for San Francisco and Santa Clara counties are back in court Wednesday. They’re fighting with the Trump administration over new rules around homelessness funding. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Teachers in Temecula can teach about race without fear of running afoul of the school board, at least for now. This comes after a California Appeals Court ruled the district’s ban on Critical Race Theory is unconstitutionally vague. Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR A group of state lawmakers is calling for the legislature to reject Governor Newsom’s proposal to fast-track a controversial project that would send more Northern California water south. Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part of President Trump's self-described big, beautiful bill includes congressional Republicans' plans to change Medicaid. The proposal would cut billions from the safety net program. Many Republican lawmakers see this as a needed savings to slash what they see as waste in the system, but recent estimates show millions of Americans stand to lose their health insurance, including in Republican health districts like Kern County. (Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Law enforcement authorities are seeking help to piece together the timeline of their primary suspect in the explosion at a Palm Springs fertility clinic over the weekend. Authorities identified 25 year old Twentynine Palms Guy Edward Bartkus in connection with the bombing and said he was likely killed in the blast. (Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR) President Donald Trump said he will announce tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals in the next few weeks. While big drug companies seem to have plans to weather the storm, independent pharmacists in California are trying their best to prepare with limited information. (Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KFF Health News) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the state legislature works to tackle a $12 billion budget deficit, a bill aimed at delivering vital resources right to farmworkers’ front doors is being put on hold. It’s modeled after an existing program run by Ayudando Latinos a Soñar, a nonprofit based in Half Moon Bay. Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report The federal government and the ACLU are facing off in district court Friday over the future of a program offering legal services to undocumented families. Reporter: Juan Carlos Lara, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The podcast dives into the complex story of Darryl Mefferd, whose in-custody death was initially deemed an accidental overdose, but new evidence raises questions about the true circumstances. It highlights the struggle families face to obtain transparency after such tragedies. Additionally, discussions on California's $12 billion budget deficit reveal proposed cuts affecting healthcare for undocumented immigrants and reproductive health services, while also addressing contentious infrastructure projects that have been debated for decades.

It’s budget season at the State Capitol, which means grassroots advocates from around California come to plead for the funding they need for key community programs and projects. But, participating in the budget process and public committee hearings can be a heavy lift – especially for those outside Sacramento’s high-powered lobbyist class. (Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent years, the population of homeless people has aged, with about 20% of them now 55 or older. Many have never been homeless before. (Reporter: Jane Vaughan, Jefferson Public Radio) Conservative activists are welcoming an announcement from Governor Gavin Newsom this week pushing cities to ban homeless encampments across California. Advocates for unhoused people are condemning the move as cruel and counterproductive. (Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is a federal agency that funds programs in libraries nationwide. In March, President Trump signed an executive order to slash the agency’s funding. And California's Braille and Talking Book Library, which serves the state's blind and print-disabled community, could be hit by these cuts. Reporter: Jasmine Ascencio, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism Over the weekend, Catholic churchgoers attended the first Sunday mass since the election of the first pope with Creole ancestry. Reporter: Billy Cruz, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices