KQED's The California Report

It’s the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims around the world dedicate 30 days to prayer and reflection by fasting from sunrise to sunset. That includes in the Monterey County community of Seaside. Reporter: Ngozi Cole, KAZU State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond says he’s imploring the Trump administration to return a 6-year-old deaf boy and his family who were deported to Colombia, so the boy can return to the California School for the Deaf in Fremont. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2024, California voters approved Proposition 1. That ballot measure set aside billions of dollars to add more mental health and addiction treatment beds across the state. But new reporting from our California newsroom partner, CalMatters, has found the initiative hasn't delivered a fraction of the support it promised. Guest: Marisa Kendall, CalMatters It’s not just gas prices rising. The attacks on Iran are also causing fertilizer prices to surge by about 30%, just as the spring planting season gets underway in California. But some farmers here have been adopting techniques that aren't just resilient to climate change, but also to the supply chain disruption of war. Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About one in ten K-12 students in the US attend a California public school. And those schools are seeing a lot of turmoil this year. San Francisco educators went on strike in February. Teachers in Oakland and San Diego narrowly avoided a strike themselves. And now, their colleagues in Dublin -- in the Bay Area -- have also been on strike this week. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED San Diego County has followed through on its ultimatum to the Department of Homeland Security, by suing the agency over access to the Otay Mesa Detention Center. Reporter: Alexander Nguyen, KPBS A Sacramento woman with DACA status is suing the federal government after she says she was unlawfully deported. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

School boards across California are giving their members raises, which might sound strange at a time when teachers here are striking for better pay. It's thanks to a new law that gives board members their first opportunity for a major pay increase in 40 years. Reporter: Katie Anastas, KPBS A man who was recently released from custody at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center has died. Immigrant rights advocates say this is the second death connected to the facility in two weeks. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the past year, we’ve watched the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown unfold violently in places like Minneapolis and Chicago. But even in Northern California, immigration arrests have more than doubled. And one of them, early last year, left a Silicon Valley carpenter gravely disabled. His family – like thousands of others – is now coping with trauma, upheaval and financial strain. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED California's state superintendent of schools is joining calls for the return of a 6-year-old deaf student from the Bay Area, who was deported to Colombia last week without his hearing aids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Proposition 50 is now in effect in California. The law redrew political boundaries for congressional districts. And one of the communities soon to have new congressional representation in Washington DC is Coalinga. This small, agricultural town on Fresno County’s west side is now going to be part of a district that stretches more than 100 miles to the north. Reporter: Samantha Rangel, KVPR Former state assemblymember Ian Calderon is dropping out of the governor’s race and throwing his support behind Democratic Congressmember Eric Swalwell. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What makes a winning candidate for governor of California? Well, with the exceptions of movie stars Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, every governor for more than 80 years has had experience in statewide office. Gavin Newsom was lieutenant governor. Pete Wilson was a U.S. Senator. Pat Brown and Jerry Brown were both attorney general. This year, the leading candidates are taking a different path. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED In the City of Pomona, local officials are demanding the release of a man without legal documentation held at the Adelanto Processing Center. They’re concerned about his health and the lack of adequate medical care. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR San Diego County is suing the Department of Homeland Security for blocking access to the Otay Mesa Detention Center. Reporter: Alexander Nguyen, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, authorities have shut down an underground channel that detainees used to communicate with the outside world. Reporter: Aisha Wallace-Palomares, LA Taco At a contentious Senate hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the Trump administration’s immigration policies. In Southern California, ICE has released a Cambodian genocide survivor from immigration detention following a court order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Across California, many Iranian-Americans are still in disbelief following the US-Israeli military strikes in Iran. Some are overjoyed with the death of the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, but others are concerned about the safety of friends and loved ones in the region. The greater Los Angeles area has a huge concentration of Iranians. That includes LA city councilman Adrin Nazarian. He was born in Iran, but he and his family fled in 1981. Guest: Adrin Nazarian, LA City Councilman As a way to tackle California’s notoriously high rents and home prices, state lawmakers have set their sights on bringing down the cost of construction. One idea: building it in factories. Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED The US Supreme Court has blocked a California law that banned school employees from outing transgender students. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration tried last fall to drastically reduce the amount of federal grant money counties could use for permanent supportive housing programs. The effort was struck down in court for the current funding cycle. But if next year's requirements are similar, there could be huge ramifications across California. Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU Rallies were held across the state this weekend following the US-Israeli airstrikes in Iran. The LAUSD board has voted unanimously to place Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on paid administrative leave. The decision comes days after FBI agents searched Carvalho’s home in San Pedro. Reporter: Mariana Dale, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sacramento County is home to California’s largest community of state workers, around 90,000 people. Governor Gavin Newsom says he wants them to come back into the office starting this summer — many still work remotely part time following the pandemic. But state worker unions hope a new bill will protect their ability to telework indefinitely. Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio In Humboldt County, low wages are leading to high rates of poverty and greater enrollment in the state food program CalFresh. Reporter: Jane Vaughan, Jefferson Public Radio Along the coast of San Mateo County, elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park could be experiencing a “small outbreak” of bird flu, according to scientists. Reporter: Sarah Mohamad, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In light of violent immigration enforcement in major cities like Chicago, LA and Minneapolis, immigrants around the country are wondering: could this happen in my community? In the Central Valley, waiting for an answer to that question has given way to fear and misinformation. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR The LA Unified School Board is meeting behind closed doors Thursday where they're expected to discuss the status of Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. This comes a day after federal investigators raided his home and office at the district's headquarters. Time is running out to submit public comments on proposed federal oil and gas leases off the Central Coast. Reporter: Elena Neale Sacks, KAZU An agent who is reportedly with the Department of Homeland Security is set to appear in court in Riverside Friday. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon among other felonies. But holding him accountable might be difficult. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hundreds of thousands of California families rely on federal housing assistance programs to make rent- you might know it as Section 8 vouchers. Based on their income, they’ll pay a certain percentage of the rent and the government pays the rest. Recipients include seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and children. But the Trump administration is expected to introduce new rules to these programs in the coming months. Some lawmakers argue that could make assistance harder to access. Guest: Sharon Quirk-Silva, California State Assembly California’s investing billions of dollars into a new grade for 4-year-olds called transitional kindergarten. But the state hasn’t set aside any money to evaluate it. Reporter: Elly Yu, LAist On Wednesday, the city of Escondido in San Diego County will discuss a controversial contract that its police department has with the Department of Homeland Security. The contract allows federal agents to use a local gun range for 20 days a year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since last summer, when the Trump administration ramped up deportation efforts, a group of volunteer observers has kept a constant presence at the Santa Ana Immigration Court. Reporter: Jill Replogle, LAist A four-week strike by thousands of Kaiser Permanente health care workers in California and Hawaii is ending Tuesday morning, even though no contract deal has been reached. Cities on the US-Mexico border remain on high alert following a weekend of violence, in response to the killing of a cartel leader. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The string of storms that have swept through California has brought much-needed water and snow throughout the state, but climate scientists say, levels may still fall short of what's needed in the coming warm weather months. The town of Truckee held a memorial for the victims of last week's avalanche in the Sierra. This comes after search and rescue crews finished recovering all nine of their bodies over the weekend. State Senator, Scott Wiener, is proposing legislation to force a split between San Francisco and Pacific Gas & Electric. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week marks the 84th anniversary of the United States, under president Franklin D. Roosevelt, enacting Executive Order 9066, which led to U.S. residents of Japanese descent being dispossessed and interned, even if they were American citizens. Survivors of Japanese internment say they're seeing the Trump Administration embracing similar policies that led to one of the darkest chapters of the United States in the 20th century. The non-partisan Legislative Analyst's Office is recommending that California lawmakers reject Governor Gavin Newsom's latest electric vehicle rebate proposal, citing cost concerns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eight people have been confirmed dead after an avalanche in Tahoe's Donner Summit region on Tuesday buried a group of 15 backcountry skiers. Six of the skiers, who were part of an overnight backcountry skiing group, were rescued Tuesday night. One person is still missing but is presumed dead. Guest: Sarah Wright, KQED A controversial proposal to tax the wealth of billionaires in California is getting a boost this week from one of the nation's leading progressives: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED More than 1400 registered nurses are set to strike at medical centers affiliated with the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the latest in a wave of labor unrest hitting the healthcare industry. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Search and rescue crews are looking for nine backcountry skiers after an avalanche near Castle Peak in the Sierra Nevada Tuesday morning. Six people were safely rescued. Two of them were transported to the hospital for treatment. The city of Los Angeles is looking to ban the construction and operation of some private detention centers. This comes amid reports that warehouses across the country are being eyed as potential detention centers, by President Trump and federal immigration officials. Reporter: Destiny Torres, LAist Work is slow in Hollywood right now. But at least one new type of production is hiring. They are bingeable shows made to be watched on your phone. And they’re called vertical micro dramas. Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SAG-AFTRA is beginning its second week of contract negotiations with Hollywood studios. The union, representing actors and performers, is hoping to avoid a repeat of 2023, when talks broke down and a strike lasted more than a hundred days. AI is expected to be one of the main focuses of the talks. Guest: Gene Maddaus, Variety A new bill in the California legislature aims to improve the safety of e-bikes. It would require owners of certain types of e-bikes to register with the DMV and display a license plate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration is making changes to how it treats unaccompanied migrant children who are pregnant, and that's raising alarm bells inside the government. Since last July, the administration has been concentrating pregnant kids in one shelter in South Texas, even if they're apprehended in California or other states. This comes over objections from the government's own health and child welfare officials. They say neither the facility nor the region can provide the specialized care the girls need. Guest: Mark Betancourt, The California Newsroom Firefighters across the state are working with scientists at the University of California to minimize their risk to cancer. Reporter: Alonso Daboub, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices