KQED's The California Report

Sequoia National Park is known for its iconic trees - the giant sequoias. They tower hundreds of feet above the Sierra Nevada. But another draw to this park is hidden thousands of feet below. It’s called Crystal Cave, and it recently reopened to the public after a parade of natural disasters left it inaccessible for years. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Recent immigration raids in Southern California have been unconstitutional. That’s according to a new lawsuit filed in Los Angeles against the federal government. Reporter: David Wagner, LAist Organizers of one of Northern California's best-loved and longest-running music festivals are scrambling to save the July 4th weekend event, amid slow ticket sales. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A soon to be reopened private prison in California City, about two hours north of Los Angeles, is expected to be the largest immigration and detention center in California. The facility is operated by the Tennessee-based correctional company CoreCivic. But residents of California City have mixed feelings on the plan. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report With the worst of wildfire season ahead, Governor Gavin Newsom is urging President Donald Trump to increase the federal government's investment in wildfire prevention in California. Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The announcement comes almost a year later than expected. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions ramp up across California, fear is spreading through communities, even in small Central Valley towns like Dinuba. But one grocery store owner is doing more than just ringing up customers; he is delivering food right to their doors. Reporter: Madi Bolaños, The California Report State lawmakers passed two controversial bills that will overhaul the state’s landmark environmental law, known as CEQA. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lake Oroville in Northern California’s Butte County is one of the state’s most important reservoirs. It’s part of a state-spanning system that delivers water to 27 million people and hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland. Now officials are working to keep an invader out of the reservoir -- a freshwater bivalve mollusk called the golden mussel. Reporter: Sarina Grossi, North State Public Radio The American Civil Liberties Union says the federal government is breaking its promise to protect migrant families who were forcibly separated at the U.S.-Mexico border during the first Trump Administration. Reporter: Mark Betancourt, The California Newsroom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This weekend marks the one year anniversary of the Grants Pass Supreme Court ruling. It gave cities in California and across the country more power to crack down on homeless encampments. Our California Newsroom partner CalMatters has been tracking the impact of that ruling. Guest: Marisa Kendall, CalMatters A federal judge is siding with California in the latest legal maneuvering over President Donald Trump‘s decision to send armed troops to Los Angeles. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new California bill could force local governments in Imperial County to start translating their agendas into Spanish. The lack of translation has kept many county residents from fully participating in the democratic process. Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS An immigrant worker who was arrested during a raid outside a hardware store in Pomona in April has been released from ICE custody. Now, immigrant rights advocates are pushing for the release of two other workers still in detention. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cities throughout California have taken different approaches on how to deal with homeless residents. That also includes those dwelling in RVs. While many plans have been slow on yielding results, Berkeley's approach may be the solution that city leaders have been looking for. California legislators have reached a tentative agreement on the state's budget proposal for the coming fiscal year, but its fate hinges on whether Governor Newsom will approve a housing reform plan that lawmakers must submit by Monday. A bill making its way through Sacramento would raise the fee car buyers in California would pay for processing paperwork, by nearly 500 percent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the Trump administration moved in April to cancel about half a billion dollars in Department of Justice grants, it said the programs didn’t align with the administration's priorities. But many of the programs targeted for cuts seem to be doing exactly the things the administration says it’s focused on. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire after more than a week of exchanging bombs and missile fire. But President Trump lashed out at the two sides Tuesday morning, for possible violations of that agreement. This caps a whirlwind of events including the US bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran and Iran’s response, launching more than a dozen missiles at a US airbase in Qatar. Iranians living in LA have mixed feelings about the conflict. Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump Administration’s immigration raids have cast a cloud of fear over communities across the state. They’ve also dealt a blow to small businesses and economic life, particularly in Los Angeles County. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report The deployment of National Guard troops sent to Los Angeles by President Trump has been at the center of a see-sawing legal battle between California and the Trump Administration. For now, the soldiers are staying as the dispute is before a judge on Monday. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday dealt a blow to California’s ability to set its own vehicle emissions standards. That will likely strengthen the fossil fuel industry’s ability to challenge the state’s energy policies and goals. Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National Guard troops sent to Los Angeles by President Donald Trump can stay there, for now. That's a result of a ruling late Thursday from a federal appeals court. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Health care providers in California say they're worried immigration raids are keeping people from getting the medical care they need. Reporter: Ana Ibarra, CalMatters Across the country, young scientists are writing to their hometown newspapers—hoping their stories will rally public support and push back against deep federal research funding cuts. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Palm Springs, a historic reparations effort for Black and Brown families who were forcibly removed from their homes 60 years ago is moving closer to reality. The city made history in November when it agreed to a nearly $6 million settlement with surviving former residents and descendants of the neighborhood known as Section 14. But roughly six months later, they’re still waiting on that money. Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report Organizations across Northern California are celebrating Juneteenth Thursday and in the coming days. Reporter: Jane Vaughan, Jefferson Public Radio Black Surf Santa Cruz recently hosted their fifth annual liberation paddle-out to celebrate Juneteenth. Reporter: Erin Malsbury, KAZU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many immigrant families in Los Angeles are frightened to leave their homes, as federal immigration agents continue to make daily arrests in public places. So two local non-profit executives decided to do something about it. Deliver meals. Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW A group of Democratic congress members, led by Representative Judy Chu of Pasadena, visited the Adelanto Detention Facility in San Bernardino County on Tuesday. They were denied entry there last week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal dollars that help small growers experiment with farming more sustainably are drying up. One farmer in the Salinas Valley wants to find ways to keep her land nourished despite precarious funding. Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU A federal appeals court will hear arguments Tuesday on President Donald Trump’s decision to send armed troops to Los Angeles in response to immigration protests. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Governor Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature are proposing to gut California’s main source of homelessness funding. Reporter: Marisa Kendall, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2,000 cities across the country participated in Saturday’s No Kings protest. Organizers say five million people took to the streets. That included cities up and down the state of California. If you're arrested and charged with a crime, you have a right to an attorney to defend you in court. But what about an investigator to collect evidence to help tell your side of the story? New reporting from our partner CalMatters has found that people accused of crimes in California are routinely convicted without an investigation to verify or debunk the accusations against them. Guest: Anat Rubin, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A federal appeals court has blocked a judge’s ruling regarding the Trump administration's use of the California National Guard in Los Angeles. Federal Judge Charles Breyer ruled late Thursday that President Trump must return control of the National Guard to Governor Newsom. But the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the deployment to continue, scheduling a hearing on the matter for next week. A Republican senator from Missouri is threatening to criminally investigate one of LA’s leading immigrant rights groups. Reporter: Frank Stoltze, LAist California Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a Department of Homeland Security press conference Thursday, then pushed to the ground and handcuffed. Reporter: Juan Carlos Lara, KQED Legal aid groups that help immigrants are raising alarms over some fine print in the state budget bill, due for a vote Friday. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED California’s Assembly is set to consider a slate of bills that could make it harder for immigration officials to access certain places. Reporter: Jeanne Kuang, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Multiple federal immigration enforcement actions involving farm workers have taken place in recent days in multiple regions of California including those in Ventura, Kern, and Tulare counties. Workers are being detained without warning, at job sites and in the fields. U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are calling these actions “unjustified and unconscionable,” warning they could tear families apart and destabilize the entire food supply chain. Guest: Teresa Romero, President of United Farm Workers Union Fresno County's Sheriff says he supports the use of the national guard in the Los Angeles protests. He’s one of the few sheriff’s speaking out publicly. Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Immigration and Customs Enforcement escalates its efforts to detain as many people without legal status as possible in California, immigration advocates are reminding people of their constitutional rights. Guest: Nisa Khan, KQED Thousands of migrant families across the country received a text message from Immigration and Customs Enforcement last week asking them to report for what seemed like a routine check-in. But many were detained at these check-ins, including at ICE's field office in downtown Los Angeles. Reporter: Mark Betancourt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Protests continued across Southern California, and the rest of the state on Monday over the Trump administration's immigration actions. Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW A labor leader was released from custody on Monday after his arrest during a downtown L.A. immigration raid set off a firestorm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Protests were held over the weekend across Los Angeles because of the Trump Administration's immigration crackdown in the city. Things ratcheted up even further after President Trump announced the planned deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles, in light of the protests. Guest: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report When the immigration arrests began last week in the Los Angeles area, many of those who were detained were sent to the Adelanto Detention Facility in San Bernardino County. Lawmakers traveled to the facility on Sunday in an attempt to meet with some of the people detained. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Immigrant-serving groups across the Bay Area are condemning a Trump administration travel ban that will bar most of the citizens of 19 countries from entering the U.S. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Immigration lawyers and advocates say at least 15 people, including some children, were arrested outside of ICE offices in San Francisco this week. Reporter: Juan Carlos Lara, KQED A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge has approved a temporary restraining order blocking efforts to restart the Refugio Oil Spill pipeline. Reporter: Amanda Wernik, KCBX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices