KQED's The California Report

If you grew up here in California, you've likely visited a neighborhood that goes all out for Christmas. We're talking decorations on the roof in the front yard and lining the street. In Fresno, that neighborhood is known as Christmas Tree Lane during the holidays. Groups of families or friends get in their cars and drive down the street, blasting the Christmas radio station. Or they pick one of the walking days, stop at the Starbucks just outside the neighborhood, and walk the lane to really soak up its Christmas magic. Guest: Dean Alexander, Christmas Tree Lane Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, many of you will be gathering with friends and family to celebrate Christmas. But what’s on your table could depend on traditions your family grew up with. Guest: Ken Albala, Food Historian and History Professor, University of the Pacific Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California is contending with a child care shortage, and the state has made efforts to increase options for families. But conflicting regulations from two state agencies are causing childcare centers to turn away thousands of infants and toddlers. Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED Health officials are scheduled to provide an update Friday morning on Governor Newsom's declaration of a state of emergency over bird flu. Although details are scant, public health experts say it’s likely a good thing. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Mateo County leaders will soon be asking voters to remove their embattled sheriff from office. It’s likely an unprecedented move. Reporter: Brian Krans, KQED Amazon workers across Southern California are joining a nationwide strike Thursday, just days before Christmas, as the Teamsters argue the company is denying their right to unionize. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday declared a state of emergency to aid California's response to the bird flu outbreak. The governor says recent cases were detected in cows at four Southern California dairies, meaning the virus has spread from the Central Valley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The warden at a troubled prison in northern California is retiring this month, and the governor has just given the former chief deputy warden there a big promotion. KQED reporters Julie Small and Sukey Lewis investigated this prison for their podcast On Our Watch, and they have an article out this week that tells the emotional story of a pair of whistleblowers who work there and the challenges they faced. Guest: Julie Small, KQED The co-founders of failed Fresno startup Bitwise Industries have been sentenced to prison for wire fraud. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The holidays are a time where we tend to eat a lot of food, and throw a lot out. Americans throw away about four pounds of waste per day, higher than anywhere in the world. But where does all that food waste go? Reporter: Erin Stone, LAist California Resources Corporation and Aera Energy joined forces to become the state’s largest oil company. But a new investigation from KVPR and Inside Climate News finds that the merger could leave taxpayers on the hook for millions. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first time Donald Trump was elected president, blue state Democrats -- particularly those from California -- asserted themselves as the frontline of the resistance. Eight years later, they say they’re making an intentional decision to stay calm, at least for now. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED It’s official. California regulators are enforcing an agreement with the state’s largest insurance companies that they hope will stem the insurance crisis. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED Crews have been working around the clock in the community of Scotts Valley in the Santa Cruz Mountains after a rare tornado touched down in the city on Saturday. At least five people were injured. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1990, a federal law required universities to return Native American remains to their homes. Many institutions had been using them for research and display. But a recent state audit shows many universities have been breaking that law ever since. Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR The season for kissing under the mistletoe has arrived! While there’s no guarantee for holiday smooches, you can get a permit to harvest your own mistletoe this season. Reporter: Erin Stone, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Diego's police commission is reviewing the department's K-9 policy, after complaints of excessive force. Data show large racial disparities in who gets bitten by police dogs. Reporter: Katie Hyson, KPBS Former San Joaquin Valley Congressman TJ Cox has agreed to plead guilty to two financial crimes. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California is pushing the trucking industry to electrify to cut pollution. That effort so far has focused on swapping out old trucks for shiny new electric ones. But that doesn’t always have to be the case. Reporter: Erin Stone, LAist The Franklin Fire continues to threaten homes in the Malibu area. Since starting Monday night, the fire has destroyed at least seven structures. Thousands of people remain under evacuation orders and warnings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the late 1990s, California voters approved a law that required public schools to teach most classes only in English. After that, many public school districts across the state essentially eliminated their bilingual programs. Voters eventually repealed this law back in 2016. But a new investigation from our partner CalMatters has found that the state's bilingual education system is still recovering, while students struggle to get the support they need. Reporter: Tara García Mathewson, CalMatters Crews are trying to get a handle on a fast growing wildfire burning in Malibu. The Franklin Fire was first reported around 11 pm Monday night. It's since burned through more than 2,200 acres in the hills north of Pepperdine University. The LA Unified School District is opening up its state subsidized preschools to higher income families. Reporter: Elly Yu, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are more than 40,000 foreign nationals serving in our military. And most of them are just one mistake away from being deported. But some veterans are advocating for a federal law that would make it easier for foreign-born soldiers to become American citizens. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS Los Angeles Congressman Adam Schiff will be sworn in Monday as California’s junior U.S. Senator, filling a seat held by Dianne Feinstein for decades. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED President-elect Trump has pledged to conduct mass deportations. That's stoked fears among financial aid experts, who worry about how his administration might use data from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA. Reporter: Julia Barajas, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Residents and authorities of California’s North Coast are assessing the aftermath from Thursday’s 7.0 earthquake centered 70 miles off the coast of Eureka. The quake triggered a tsunami warning from as far north as Oregon to Santa Cruz. In Humboldt County, business owners and residents have been hit hard by earthquakes in the past. Reporter: Sukey Lewis, KQED The man who shot two kindergarteners at an Oroville school Wednesday grew up in Butte County. Authorities say they're learning more about the suspect and victims. Reporter: Alec Stutson, North State Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Immigrant communities worry Donald Trump will make good on promises of mass deportations now that he has been elected to a second term in the White House. That could have big consequences for California’s agricultural communities. The state says about half of all farmworkers are undocumented. Reporter: Esther Quintanilla, KVPR In Northern California, law enforcement authorities say two kindergarteners who were shot at a school in Butte County are in extremely critical condition. Reporter: Adia White, North State Public Radio California prisons will no longer withhold money they’re supposed to give people at the time of their release. The directive comes after a class-action lawsuit and order from the state legislature. Reporter: Cayla Mihalovich, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President-elect Trump is proposing to increase tariffs on products imported from China, Canada and Mexico. That, he says, will slash trade deficits and help domestic manufacturing compete by raising prices on imports. But imposing tariffs on imported wines and winemaking supplies could hurt California’s wine industry more than it helps. Reporter: Tina Caputo The final congressional seat that was up for grabs in California is going to Central Valley Democrat Adam Gray. Gray defeated Republican incumbent John Duarte in California's 13th Congressional District race, by fewer than 200 votes. A San Bernardino County man has been arrested and charged with illegally shipping weapons and ammunition to North Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California lawmakers began both their new legislative session and a special session called by Governor Newsom on Monday, with Democrats introducing bills to prepare for another Trump presidency. But some leaders cautioned that a resistance to Trump’s policies had to be paired with a renewed focus on governing fundamentals and solving the daily challenges facing Californians. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED As California lawmakers strategize ways to "Trump Proof" the state’s liberal policies, a high priority is safeguarding access to abortions and reproductive care. Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED Immigrants and community organizations rallied for stronger immigration protections at the State Capitol on Monday, as legislators returned to Sacramento. Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio Proposed state legislation could help speed up California’s notoriously slow ballot counting process. Reporter: Yue Stella Yu, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Under Governor Gavin Newsom, California has taken on an environmental policy that aims to reduce its carbon footprint, and that relies heavily on zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). But California's pathway to going green may face its biggest obstacle in the coming Trump Administration. The President-Elect has vowed to cut federal tax breaks for ZEV purchases, and de-regulate federal environmental policies. While Governor Newsom says he plans to bring back state-level incentives for ZEV purchases if those tax breaks are revoked, California is preparing for a fight with the new Trump Administration over its environmental future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a developer buys a building in a working-class neighborhood with plans to tear it down and build new apartments, the current tenants can feel powerless. But, that’s not always the case. For example, a gentrification fight in the Boyle Heights community of LA County had unexpected results. Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For families here in California, Thanksgiving often means gathering with friends and family and celebrating with food and drinks. But the holiday has a much different meaning for California’s Native American community. Guest: Gerald Clarke, ethnic studies professor at UC Riverside and member of the Cahuilla Band of Indians Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christmas is just around the corner. So let's head to Eureka in Humboldt County, where Sequoia Park Zoo is preparing for the holidays with a living Christmas tree that may just take the title of tallest in the nation from the neighboring town of Ferndale. Guest: Jennifer Fumiko Cahill, North Coast Journal Pacific Gas and Electric is asking the California Public Utilities Commission to approve another rate hike. That's meant to generate more than $3 billion to help connect customers to the grid and make capacity upgrades. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices