KQED's The California Report

By next year, every county in California will have to implement a new statewide program called CARE Court. It focuses on getting unhoused people with severe mental health disorders into treatment.  Eight counties have agreed to begin early, including San Francisco.Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Catalytic converters are a part that all gas-powered vehicles in California are required to have in order to keep their exhaust up to our air quality standards. Thousands of cars across Los Angeles have had theirs stolen, because of the part’s valuable precious metals.Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRWCalifornia’s record snowpack is starting to melt, and it might impact peak wildfire season. For some higher-elevation parts of the state, excess snowpack from the winter might stick around longer than usual and help in reducing severe wildfire risks. But in lower-elevation areas that dry out sooner, it’s a different story. Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fentanyl Deaths Up in California, New Data ShowNew Federal data show overdose deaths in California up slightly, and drug policy experts say lasting change requires lawmakers to examine and treat underlying causes of addiction. Meanwhile, a bill to create a task force is now advancing at the State Capitol. Reporter: Stephanie O’Neill Patison, KFF Health News Carmel-by-the Sea Addresses Its AddressesThe city of Carmel-by-the-Sea is known for its quaint shops, movie star residents and bohemian quirkiness. It’s that bohemian quirkiness that's causing a controversy in the coastal village. Last fall a group of residents asked the city to change a one hundred year old tradition. Reporter: Doug McKnight, KAZU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Consider the beaver. Once thought of as a “nuisance rodent,” yes it’s a rodent, for flooding roads, farmland and other properties that we want to keep dry, the beaver is now embraced as a “climate solving hero” and an eco-engineer. Why? Well for its natural ability to help increase water storage and to create natural buffers against wildfires. Guests: Laurie Wayburn, Co-Founder of Pacific Forest Trust and Leila Phillip, Author of the book "Beaver Land: How One Weird Rodent Made America" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The California State University system has some of the lowest tuition rates in the country. But a huge budget gap could force new tuition hikes. Reporter: Mikhail Zinshteyn, CalMattersStanford University is conducting the first clinical trial in the world, looking at whether Paxlovid could be a possible treatment for Long COVID patients.  Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California ReportKennedy High School is in Richmond, a town northeast of San Francisco. One retired teacher has shown extraordinary commitment to the school, where he’s dedicated his time and energy for more than 50 years. Reporter: Richard Gonzales, The California Report Magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every year for the past two decades, tribes along the Oregon-California border have come together for an event known as the Salmon Run. It’s a spiritual run and prayer for the health of the Klamath watershed.  Reporter: Jane Vaughan, Jefferson Public RadioA new state legislative committee is digging into the fentanyl crisis in search of solutions. Over five hours of testimony on Wednesday, public health and law enforcement experts painted a grim picture of a complex crisis requiring multifaceted solutions.Reporter: Vanessa Rancano, KQED   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year, the city of Los Angeles decided to turn one of its methane gas plants into a hydrogen plant. It's part of the city’s ambitious goal to run on 100% renewable energy by 2035. It might sound great, but it’s actually a controversial move.Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRWA new state legislative committee focused on fentanyl and opioid addiction is holding its first meeting Wednesday in Sacramento. The committee is hoping to address the ongoing opioid crisis. Reporter: Sara Hossaini, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A historic agreement has been reached between seven Western states to cut the amount of water they take from the Colorado River. But what are California's responsibilities under the deal? And which part of the state will be most affected?Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report California's lawmakers have been scrambling to address the state's fentanyl overdose crisis. The synthetic opioid is 50 times stronger than heroin and it caused nearly 6,000 deaths in California in 2021, according to data from the California Department of Public Health. But the state legislature is split on the best approach to tackle this crisis -- treatment or punishment?Guest: Anita Chabria, Columnist, Los Angeles Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s food banks are reporting alarming spikes in demand, that’s according to the state’s association of food banks, which says the end of pandemic-era food benefits and record high inflation is to blame.  In April, the Sacramento food bank and its partners fed 281,000 people – almost double the amount it served before the pandemic.Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadioFueled by California's record snowfall, rivers in the state are flowing fast and have swept away a number of people recently. That includes an 8-year-old girl, who drowned in the Kings River in Fresno County on Sunday.  Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPREarlier this month, we brought you the story of Long COVID patients and their concerns about the lack of clinical trials for potential treatments. Now, a Bay Area lawmaker is looking for answers from the federal agency in charge of Long COVID research.Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was once Northern California’s largest settlement of unhoused people. The city of Oakland recently cleared the last remaining portion of the community people called Wood Street.  Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQEDWe're learning more about U.S Senator Dianne Feinstein's recent health struggles. They were worse and more complicated than her office first disclosed. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQEDCalifornia workplace regulators have confirmed complaints of child labor and other violations at a Popeye’s fast food restaurant in East Oakland.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices