KQED's The California Report

The Imperial Valley has been growing sugar beets for more than a century. But this summer's harvest could be the region's last. The valley's only sugar beet factory is shutting down, threatening hundreds of jobs and one of its staple crops. Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS San Diego Unified School District officials are condemning the recent arrest of a parent near an elementary school by immigration agents. Valley Fever is on the rise in California. State health officials say there were more than 5,500 provisional cases from January through June, continuing an upward trend after last year's record high. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Congress passed a budget bill that clawed back more than a billion dollars in federal funding for public media, radio stations across the country were put on notice. With the lack of funding, many have already laid off staff, and many smaller stations in rural areas are at risk of closing for good. That includes stations in the western United States that serve indigenous communities. Guest: Peggy Berryhill, General Manager, KGUA School is back in session for thousands of students across the state. In Los Angeles County, the start of the school year looks a bit different after a summer colored by aggressive, federal immigration enforcement. Teachers and staff are on high alert, patrolling neighborhoods around their campuses looking for ICE agents and preparing for what to do if there’s a raid. Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month marks 20 years since California implemented rules meant to protect workers from the heat amid a series of farm worker deaths. But two decades later, many employers still don't provide workers with the protections they're owed, enforcement is generally lax, climate change has brought more severe heat waves, and workers continue to die. Guest: Jessica Garrison, LA Times A federal judge in San Francisco heard final arguments Wednesday on whether President Donald Trump’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles this summer violated the law. Reporter: Julie Small, KQED Ventura County supervisors are considering a package of proposals aimed at helping undocumented residents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When California lawmakers return from summer recess on Monday, the legislature is expected to debate the future of the state's program to fight climate change. And some residents in heavily polluted communities want state leaders to focus on local air quality too. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED One of the candidates running to be California’s next governor faces potential conflicts of interest related to her spouse’s business dealings. Reporter: Alexei Koseff, CalMatters If you call the Redding Fire Department for help with anything but a life-threatening medical emergency, you may now get a bill. Reporter: Justin Higginbottom, Jefferson Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time in eight years, Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa held an in-person town hall for his constituents in Chico on Monday. Reporter: Erik Adams, North State Public Radio The second day of testimony begins Tuesday morning in California's challenge to President Donald Trump’s deployment of thousands of National Guard troops and US Marines to Los Angeles earlier this summer. Reporter: Brian Krans, KQED A former Orange County supervisor has been ordered to pay the county back, for his role in illegally redirecting millions of dollars in contracts for bribes. Reporter: Nick Gerda, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Local healthcare providers are bracing for Medicaid cuts under a new federal spending law. They say the cuts will impact their ability to care for low-income patients. Reporter: Ngozi Cole, KAZU The Trump administration is holding children in facilities along the U.S. -Mexico border– for longer than ever before. That’s according to a federal judge in LA, who suggested that could threaten the government’s push to end a decades-long agreement protecting children in immigration custody. Reporter: Julie Small, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration is asking the US Supreme Court to lift a temporary restraining order that restricts indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests across much of Southern California. The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego has launched a new interfaith ministry, to accompany refugees and asylum seekers at immigration court. Reporter: Alexander Nguyen, KPBS San Luis Obispo County Supervisors voted this week to accept more than $300,000 in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. That's despite criticism of the agency’s immigration enforcement policies. Reporter: Gabriela Fernandez, KCBX At Google’s San Francisco offices Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new joint effort with four top tech giants to better prepare California’s students for the future of work. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED The 29th annual Tahoe Summit brought together lawmakers, tribal leaders, and environmentalist to discuss the future of the basin. Reporter: Maria Palma, KUNR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yosemite National Park welcomes millions of visitors per year, according to the National Parks Service. The massive figure means that seasonal workers are integral for all of the park's services to function smoothly. But an NPR investigation revealed that dozens of seasonal workers at Yosemite were on the job for weeks, without getting paid for it. More than 2,000 DACA recipients in California are on track to lose their health insurance at the end of August, after the Trump Administration axed a rule that allowed them to obtain health coverage through Covered California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal housing cuts could leave thousands of California families without a place to live. And in Fresno County, where more than half of residents rent, the impact could be devastating. Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report The Marine Corps has changed its longstanding agreement with an Oceanside-based credit union, following a KPBS investigation last year. Reporter: Scott Rodd, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Geneva, world leaders are back at the table for the latest round of UN negotiations aimed at drafting a first-of-its-kind treaty to tackle plastic pollution. The goal? A legally binding agreement that addresses the entire plastic life cycle, from how it's produced to how it's disposed of. But one California group is calling on negotiators not to leave front line communities behind. Guest: Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, Founder & Executive Director, Azul State lawmakers have proposed a bill that would require police officers to disclose when they use generative AI for report writing. Departments across California have started testing or using these tools. Reporter: Sukey Lewis, KQED California Democrats are considering new political maps that could help them pick up as many as five additional House seats in the 2026 mid-term elections. It's their answer to redistricting moves in Texas that are expected to favor Republicans. But a California Republican congressman wants to put a stop to it all, by banning states from redrawing their maps mid-decade entirely. Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Monday is a milestone for police accountability in California. Anyone can now look up incidents of serious use of force and police misconduct in the state in a new free database. It makes once confidential records from about 12,000 cases gathered from the state's nearly 700 law enforcement and oversight agencies publicly available. It was seven years in the making and brought together teams of journalists, data scientists, and advocates from across California. Guests: Sukey Lewis, KQED and Lisa Pickoff-White, the project's Director of Research out of Berkeley's Investigative Reporting Program A federal appeals court has rejected efforts by the Trump administration to halt a temporary restraining order limiting some immigration-related stops and arrests in Southern California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This weekend, San Francisco will once again become the center of the deadhead universe. That’s because it’s the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead. Dead & Co., the band’s latest iteration, will be playing three shows in Golden Gate Park, starting Friday. Kamala Harris' decision not to run for California governor has opened up the field ahead of next year's election. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Duplexes will no longer be an option for homeowners starting to rebuild in L.A.’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood. Reporter: David Wagner, LAist California lawmakers are poised to ban the sale of new Glock handguns. Reporter: Ryan Sabalow, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California's tenant protection laws are among some of the strongest in the nation. But the recent increase in immigration enforcement is impacting the dynamic between landlords and undocumented tenants. That's according to a story from our California newsroom partner, Cal Matters. Guest: Ben Christopher, CalMatters California politicos are reacting to a decision by former Vice President Kamala Harris not to run for governor of California. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More older adults in Los Angeles are falling into homelessness. That’s according to recently released data from the region’s annual point in time count. Meanwhile, organizations that serve vulnerable seniors are being forced to cut back in the face of funding cuts. Reporter: Makenna Sievertson, LAist California's coastal areas are on alert after a massive earthquake Tuesday off the eastern coast of Russia. Much of the coast remains under a tsunami advisory and there's a portion of northern California under a tsunami warning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a recent night in the town of Kerman in Fresno County, hundreds of people gathered at the local football field. They were there for an event that has happened in Kerman only twice before. And it left the community star-struck. Reporter: Samantha Rangel, KVPR California will deploy almost $2 million to prevent thousands of people from losing their health insurance, as White House cuts hit the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Reporter: Carly Severn, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine growing up in the U.S., going to high school, starting a career, having a family - only to learn that you’re not an American citizen. That’s exactly what happened to thousands of children born in other countries and adopted by American parents in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. And now, with the increased immigration crackdown from the Trump administration, many fear possible deportation. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS The battle over immigration raids across much of Southern California will have another day in court Monday afternoon. The Trump administration is looking to end a temporary restraining order that’s in place, barring indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests. Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi , The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The kennels at the Riverside County Animal Shelter are packed with dogs and cats. So last week, Riverside County waived adoption fees and stayed open until midnight to help more furry friends find a forever home. Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, which is the largest affiliate in the country, is closing five of its clinics in California. Comic-Con is taking over San Diego this week. And yeah, it’s got all the usual stuff: celebrities, superheroes, and lots of cosplay. But there’s more to it than just fanfare. Reporter Katie Anastas, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A recent ICE arrest in Southern California is raising more questions about how immigration enforcement is being carried out and who gets caught in the crossfire. The man taken into custody is a DACA recipient. He's deaf and primarily communicates through sign language. His ordeal, for the most part, left his friends and family in the dark, until he was finally able to return home. Guest: Brittny Mejia, LA Times California Attorney General Rob Bonta is asking a judge to bring LA County's juvenile halls under state control. Reporter: Libby Rainey, LAist The new federal budget signed into law by President Donald Trump is expected to negatively impact many people enrolled in Covered California, the state’s marketplace for subsidized health plans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the past 30 years, Children's Hospital Los Angeles has provided gender affirming care to trans children and young adults. But for nearly 3,000 patients, that ended on Tuesday, under pressure from the Trump administration. Families are struggling to find new doctors, and a way forward. Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW Immigrants in Los Angeles have been losing income because of federal immigration raids. Cities want to help, but they've been dealing with budget cuts. Reporter: David Wagner, LAist California Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortions in the state, lost its federal funding this week under a court order that allows that money to be withheld while a larger legal dispute plays out. Reporter: Kristen Hwang, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could the Trump administration's aggressive – and some would argue illegal – immigration raids spark the beginnings of a new political movement that unites Latinos? Reporter: Aisha Wallace-Palomares A group of Democratic state senators are proposing a bill aimed at stabilizing gas prices, but environmental groups are pushing back. Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices