California Update

Governor Gavin Newsom is closing parking lots at some state parks and beaches to discourage Californians from crowding public spaces during the coronavirus pandemic. He also says the state could be short 50,000 hospital beds.

Story by Nicole Nixon.

(Photo: via CapRadio)

As the COVID-19 crisis continues people are going to need essential supplies like eggs and vegetables. In California farmers markets are considered an essential service and don’t have to close down, but many are not operating.

Story by Ezra David Romero.

(Photo: Manuel Rodriguez with Rodriguez Brothers Ranch in Santa Clara - Ezra David Romero / CapRadio)

When shoppers stock up, they could leave WIC shoppers with few options           

Only certain items qualify for WIC, which helps low-income women, infants and children get nutritional food.

Story by Scott Rodd.

(Photo: ParentingPatch / CC BY-SA 3.0)

Authorities intercepted a woman using this drug kit in preparation for shooting up a mix of heroin and fentanyl inside a Walmart bathroom last month in Manchester, N.H. Fentanyl offers a particularly potent high but also can shut down breathing in under a minute. Credit: Salwan Georges/Washington Post/Getty Images/via CapRadioThough the spike in fentanyl death rates has largely affected the Northeast, the trend is starting to worry health experts in California, who are already taking precautions to reduce overdoses.

Story by Sammy Caiola.

Credit: ollesvensson / FlickrYou might double check the brand before you slice into an avocado. Some California-grown avocados are being recalled.

Story by Ezra David Romero.

Snow falls as John King of the Department of Water Resources, crosses a meadow while conducting the third manual snow survey of the season at the Phillips Station near Echo Summit, Calif. Credit: Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo / via CapRadioStorms this week are expected to bring rain and snow to a large portion of California. Monday's could drop more than a quarter of an inch of rain at low elevations and up to a foot of snow in the mountains.

As the pandemic continues farms are operating and farmworkers are still going to work. They’re considered essential workers, but not all of them feel enough is being done to protect them.

Story by Ezra David Romero.

(Photo: Farmworkers pick organic strawberries at Stehly Farms Organics in Valley Center, Calif., on March 25 - Ariana Drehsler / AFP via Getty Images / via NPR)

The state is looking for retired and student health care workers to help meet an expected surge of coronavirus patients in California.

Story by Nicole Nixon.

Governor Newsom issues executive order to help fill hospital staffing needs.

Story by Drew Sandsor.

It’s allergy season and having a runny nose or itchy eyes while the coronavirus crisis is happening can be unnerving. But how do symptoms from allergies differ from the flu or COVID-19?

Story by Ezra David Romero.

Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to make sure every California voter gets a ballot in the mail this November. Secretary of State Alex Padilla talks about his plans for administering an election under the threat of COVID-19 with CapRadio’s Politics Reporter Nicole Nixon.

(Photo via CapRadio)

A handful of western states are asking Congress to include state and local governments in the next round of coronavirus relief funding.

Story by Nicole Nixon.

The California Republican Party along with the national GOP are suing Governor Gavin Newsom over his plans to send vote-by-mail ballots to all registered Californians ahead of the November election.

Story by Chris Nichols.

(Photo: Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio)

The triple-digit heat is back. But, COVID-19 is making floating on rivers more difficult and experts say the virus is adding risk to what can already be a dangerous activity. Story by Ezra David Romero.

Sacramento’s social scene cautiously re-emerged over the weekend. Restaurants are now allowing sit-down service. What customers and staff are doing to stay safe?

Story by Sammy Caiola.

This March 23, 2018 photo shows an envelope containing a 2018 census test letter mailed to a resident in Providence, R.I. Credit: Michelle R. Smith / AP Photo / via CapRadioCalifornia officials are counting on trusted messengers, including health organizations, to help encourage census participation among hard-to-reach groups.

Story by Sammy Caiola.

California Restaurant Owner Educates Customers On 60-Year-Old Parking Law

Story by Randol White.

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Governor Newsom says some California businesses can reopen as soon as Friday.

Story by Nicole Nixon.

(Photo: California Gov. Gavin Newsom - Rich Pedroncelli, Pool / AP Photo)

Lawmakers return to the Capitol to handle coronavirus response, looming budget crisis.

Story by Scott Rodd.

The LGBTQ+ community faces special challenges during the COVID-19 crisis – and these challenges are the focus of a series of virtual town halls that start tomorrow night.

Story by Suzanne Potter - California News Service.

A moderate La Niña weather pattern is forming over the pacific ocean. That means this winter may seem cooler than last year for Californians because. But how wet and dry the winter will be depends on where you live in the state.

Story by Ezra David Romero.

(Photo: People wearing jackets walk their dogs on the beach Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, in Long Beach, Calif. Cooler temperatures moved through Southern California on Monday - Ashley Landis / AP Images)

California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly issues travel advisory heading into Thanksgiving.

Story by Scott Rodd.

Nine days before the Thanksgiving holiday, California officials imposed new restrictions across much of the state to tamp down the spread of COVID-19.

Story by Nicole Nixon.

Target has announced it will eliminate toxic bisphenol from its thermal receipt paper, following a two-year petition drive by consumer groups.

Story by Suzanne Potter – California News Service

Wild turkeys are flourishing across the state. They were brought to California in 1877 for hunting. But as the globe warms, wild turkey habitat may change. It’s not that they’ll go extinct. It’s that some of their homes won’t be suitable to live in.

Story by Ezra David Romero.

(Photo: Turkeys roam Colonial Heights, Sacramento, Nov. 7, 2020 - Andrew Nixon / CapRadio)

Governor Newsom held a news conference from his home where he's quarantined after members of his family were exposed to a CHP officer who tested positive.

Story by Nicole Nixon.

ZEV sales grow in California, but the slow pace raises questions about the state's plan to go all-ZEV by 2035

Story by Steve Milne.

California’s top election official says voters can’t be denied the ability to vote if they don’t wear a mask. And it’s been left up to counties to find a solution.

Story by Scott Rodd.

(Photo: The Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance on Florin Road on day one of early voting in Sacramento County, Saturday, Oct 24, 2020 - Andrew Nixon / CapRadio)

A handful of campaigns behind the propositions on this year's California ballot have raked in records amount of cash to sway voters on issues like property taxes and labor laws.

Story by Nicole Nixon.

There’s so much potential paper waste from the election process. So what happens to all the ballots and the envelopes after they come in?

Story by Ezra David Romero.

A state with a population of nearly 40 million people is poised to elect its 40th governor. Californians will also pick a U.S. senator, decide 11 statewide ballot measures and help determine control of Congress.

California Democrats are hoping to regain a two-thirds supermajority in the state Legislature in Today's election — a battle that could come down to a single Central Valley state Senate seat.

California is rarely the nation’s focus on Election Night, as the reliably Democratic state has delivered foregone conclusions in recent races for president and U.S. Senate. But not this year, with several California House races up for grabs.

Today’s reporting by Ben Adler.

• Here’s what you need to know before you go out and vote. It has info on how to vote if you’re not registered, important issues and candidates to consider, and where to cast your ballot.
• There are 11 propositions on the California ballot. From expanding rent control to repealing the gas tax, here’s CapRadio's rundown of what each would do.
• Polls close at 8 p.m. KRCB FM Radio 91 will carry NPR's election coverage beginning at 5 pm.
• Be sure to catch our live one-hour election wrap beginning at 9 pm on KRCB FM Radio 91, KRCB TV 22, and KPJK TV in the South Bay.

It's been several months since protests against police brutality broke out across the nation. How will new laws address systemic racism? Today, a conversation with the chair of California's Legislative Black Caucus, Shirley Weber.

Story by Nicole Nixon.

(Photo: Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, answers a question about police use of force, during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, June 2, 2020 - Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo)

When California Governor Jerry Brown cleared his desk for the 16th and final time Sunday night, he did so in true Jerry Brown fashion.

Potrero Border Fire, San Diego County, CA in June 2016. Credit: Hayne Palmour IVDry, hot, and on fire. This sums up the last year in California according to a new water report released today by the state’s Department of Water Resources.

California 101 freeway. Credit: Mark Ralston, AFP / GettyCalifornia's latest move against the Trump administration's proposed rollback of fuel mileage standards came in the form of a trio of decisions last week.

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Millions of California voters have already returned their ballots, setting new records for early turnout this year.

Story by Nicole Nixon.

(Photo: People wait in line to cast their vote during early voting at City Hall in Philadelphia on Oct. 7 - Gabriella Audi / AFP via Getty Images)

California leaders are meeting online this week to discuss how to reach the state’s ambitious climate change goals.

Story by Ezra David Romero.

Distance learning is still a struggle for many California families. But a pair of new polls suggest most parents don’t want to send their kids back to school yet.

Story by Nicole Nixon.

California health officials have released guidelines for how to safely socialize in small groups.

Story by Sammy Caiola.

High-speed winds whipped across California Sunday night igniting more than two dozen wildfires. Two of the blazes are still burning. A few others started Monday.

Story by Ezra David Romero.

(Photo: A firefighter extinguishes hotspots while battling the Olinda Fire in Anderson, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020. The blaze was one of four fires burning near Redding that firefighters scrambled to stop as high winds buffeted Northern California - AP Photo / Noah Berger)

Governor Gavin Newsom placed a moratorium on executions in California soon after he took office. Now, he’s taking his crusade against the death penalty to the courtroom with his first amicus brief.

Story by Nicole Nixon.

College enrollment numbers are mixed as the pandemic continues to keep campuses closed and classes online.

Story by Steve Milne.

The California Restaurant Association wants the state and counties to refund $100 million in fees restaurants had to pay even while they were shut down.

Story by Mike Haggerty.

Amanda Bicknell/ Wiki CommonsProposition 1 is called the Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2018. But, only a quarter of the money goes to housing programs for vets.

Story by Randol White.

californiadfg / FlickrCalifornia officials have created a plan to stop climate change from killing sea creatures. The reason? The ocean is getting more acidic as it absorbs increased amounts of carbon dioxide.

Story by Ezra David Romero.

Dry fields and bare trees at Panoche Road, looking west, on Wednesday, February 5, 2014, near San Joaquin, California. Credit: Gregory Urquiaga / File / UC DavisThe first part of fall has been dry so far in California, and that trend might continue. A UCLA researcher says it's not usual forrain to be scarce in October, but that dry conditions are increasingly being pushed deeper into autumn.

Story by Ezra David Romero.

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

At more than a million acres the August Complex fire burning near Mendocino is the largest fire in modern California history. It’s been burning for a month and a half and is still only 54 percent contained. But how did the fire got so big?

Story by Ezra David Romero.

(Photo: The perimeter of the August Complex fires as of 2 p.m. on October 5, courtesy of the National Interagency Fire Center. Map by Emily Zentner/CapRadio)

Wildfire smoke and rising temperatures are damaging California’s famous wine country…And climate change will likely make it worse.

Story by Scott Rodd.

Governor Gavin Newsom is filling a vacancy on the California Supreme Court with a historic pick. Former Appeals Court Judge Marvin Jenkins is only the third Black man to serve on the state's highest court, and the first openly gay man to do so.

Story by Mike Haggerty.

As November approaches, 42% of California voters say they’re concerned with the integrity of the upcoming election.

Story by Nicole Nixon.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that places a $15 billion school facilities bond on California’s March 2020 ballot, setting himself apart from his predecessor who labeled the November 2016 school bond “a blunderbuss effort.”

Story by Ben Adler.

(Photo: FILE - In this June 12, 2013 file photo second-grade teacher Vickie Boudouris goes over an English worksheet with her students at the Cordova Villa Elementary School, in Rancho Cordova - Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo)

The state of California is partnering with local governments from Sacramento to San Diego to make state-owned land available for affordable housing projects.

Story by Chris Nichols.

(Photo: Grendelkhan [CC BY-SA 4.0])

California's first tuition-free online community college launched this week. But not everyone's happy about the virtual campus.

Story by Steve Milne.

(Photo: Calbright College president Heather Hiles unveils the school's new logo. The target audience is adults seeking to improve job skills – Derek Gordon/CalBright)

Tuesday, October 8, 2019 

The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a recommendation urging California officials to move faster to repair damaged highway barriers.

Story by Drew Sandsor.

(Photo: via Capital Public Radio)

Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill limiting California vaccine medical exemptions, despite capitol protest. The bill seeks to prevent doctors from issuing fraudulent medical exemptions for vaccines. Protesters repeatedly disrupted the Senate and Assembly before Newsom signed the measure.

Story by Ben Adler.

(Photo: The Senate chamber is brought to a halt by protesters - Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio)

Just five days remain for California lawmakers to decide the fates of nearly 700 different bills before they adjourn for the year Friday night, and a few big issues will dominate the debate.

Story by Ben Adler.

(Photo: Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio)

  Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Governor Gavin Newsom asks the Trump administration for more housing vouchers to help the state's efforts to reduce homelessness.

Story by Scott Rodd.

As a mysterious lung illness tied to vaping sweeps across the country, California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday said he wants to ban flavored e-cigarettes.

Story by Drew Sandsor.

(Photo: Gavin Newsom reflects on his first 100 days as governor of California - Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio)

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

California Gov. Gavin Newsom gave an update on the wildfires burning throughout the state Monday, but also touched on coronavirus testing rates, and combating climate change.

Story by Ezra David Romero.

(Photo: Tents along the bike trail near the American River - Scott Rodd / CapRadio)

In order to make upgrades, EDD has stopped accepting new unemployment claims for two weeks.

Story by Scott Rodd.

Linda Dunn, center, and Ron Freund, right, protest before the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. Credit: Gary Kazanjian / AP PhotoEnvironmentalists and California officials rallied at a hearing today in Fresno against the Trump administration’s proposal to roll back car-mileage standards and prevent the state from setting its own emission limits.

Members of the California Nurses Association and supporters rally on the second-floor rotunda at the Capitol calling for a single-payer health plan, Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in Sacramento. Credit: Rich Pedroncelli / AP PhotoCalifornia Governor Jerry Brown signed five new laws came from a group of lawmakers and advocates who want to see all Californians insured.

Tuesday, September 25, 20189

Dialysis proposition could require clinics to make staffing and reporting changes. Supporters of Prop 23 say the new requirements will improve patient safety, opponents say it's a ploy from unions trying to get the upper hand.

Story by Sammy Caiola.

(Photo: In this Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 file photo, a patient undergoes dialysis at a clinic in Sacramento, CA - AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Nearly 40% of California 18-to-34-year olds still live with their parents. What is it like to date when you're in your twenties and live down the hall from Mom and Dad?

Matt Levin of CalMatters looked into the issue.

This story part of Cap Radio’s California Dream Series in collaboration with Cal Matters.

Read the full story.

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

California Assembly chamber. Credit: Andrew Nixon / Capital Public RadioCalifornia Governor Jerry Brown has hundreds of bills awaiting his signature, after a late-night rush by the Legislature before its two-year session ended on Friday.

Story by Ben Bradford.

Assemblyman Evan Low on the floor of the state Assembly. Credit: Jeff WaltersA ban on gay conversion therapy in California will not make it to the Governor’s desk this year. Assemblymember Evan Low authored the measure and says he’s pulling the bill to make it more inclusive despite bipartisan support.

Story by Nadine Sebai.

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

The outcome of the 2020 presidential election could dictate the pace of how climate change is fought for decades. A summer poll suggests amid the pandemic, Americans don’t care about climate change as much as they did just eight months ago.

Story by Ezra David Romero.

(Photo: NASA / Public domain)

Scientists are trying to find out whether children’s lungs and immune systems are negatively affected by the chemicals in wildfire smoke.

Story by Sammy Caiola.

With demand for mental health services at a high due to COVID-19, California clinicians and nonprofit staff are finding remote ways to try to prevent suicides, especially among teens, veterans, and other high-risk groups.

Story by Sammy Caiola.

You may have noticed some essentials missing at the grocery store. That’s because people are stocking up and cooking more at home. But as the pandemic continues will there be enough food to go around?

Story by Ezra David Romero.

(Photo: An empty Safeway aisle in Midtown Sacramento - Ezra David Romero / CapRadio)

Over 25,000 retired health professionals and medical students signed up for a new California initiative called Health Corps. The program aims to increase health care staffing on the front lines of the coronavirus response.

Story by Scott Rodd.

The Trump administration today rolled back Obama-era clean car standards... and California's top prosecutor is vowing to fight it.

Story by Steve Milne.

Photo courtesy of USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.California lawmakers are discussing whether to sever the link between state protections for migratory birds from one of the nation's oldest environmental laws.

Story by Ezra David Romero.

Assemblymember Shirley Weber, left, and Ciara Hamilton, Elizabeth Medrano, Jeff Noble and Cheryl Dorsey (left to right) prepare to speak at a hearing on Weber's AB 392 on April 9, 2019. Credit: Ben Adler / Capital Public RadioA bill that would limit when police officers can use deadly force has passed its first vote in the California Legislature.

Story by Ben Adler.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, visit the tomb of Archbishop Oscar Romero at Metropolitan Cathedral in San Salvador, El Salvador, Sunday, April 7, 2019. Father Francisco Villalobos stands at left. Credit: AP Photo/Salvador Melendez, Pool / via CapRadioCalifornia Governor Gavin Newsom talked about gangs and economic development during his final day in El Salvador.

Story by Drew Sandsor.