KQED's The California Report

In recent years, you’ve likely heard news stories about fiery school board meetings. But most often, they’re pretty routine. In the November election, there are several school board races on the ballot. But many are not, because the races have not attracted more than one candidate. Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU Shasta County in far Northern California has been the epicenter of election denialism in the state, and the tension is taking a toll on election workers. Officials have confirmed that 10 out of 21 workers with the Shasta County Registrar of Voters have quit as of last week. Reporter: Sergio Olmos, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tens of thousands of University of California workers have authorized their unions to call a strike in coming weeks. They say many departments are understaffed and accuse UC administrators of bargaining in bad faith. Although California's more than 180,000 unhoused residents could be impacted by the results of next week's election, many may not vote due to various challenges. Data from Sacramento County shows less than 10 percent of unhoused voters there are registered. Reporter: Yue Stella Yu, CalMatters Statewide Proposition 34 is, on its face, about requiring health care providers to spend nearly all of their revenue on patients. But the measure is backed by a landlord lobbying group and only applies to a single provider who is pushing for more rent control in California. Reporter: Aaron Schrank, KCRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Young voter turnout across the U.S. has historically been low. But this year, youth voter registration has surged. And that could make a difference in the Congressional District 13 race in northern San Joaquin Valley. Two years ago, Republican John Duarte beat Democrat Adam Gray by less than 600 votes. Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR Another demographic that could sway the vote in California’s 13th District is Latinas. They make up 1 in every 4 voters in the District, according to Lucete Latina, a Federal Political Action Committee. Guest: Roxana Pantoja, 19-year-old Merced resident The Los Angeles Dodgers won in dramatic fashion Wednesday night, coming from behind to beat the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 of the World Series. It's the franchise's eighth World Series championship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California election officials are bracing for Election Day amidst concerns about distrust. Officials have been investing in outreach and education. One county that's dealt with a lot of distrust is Shasta County in far northern California. The county's longtime registrar of voters, Cathy Darling Allen, retired in May this summer. The board appointed a new registrar to replace her. Guest: Alex Hall, KQED Proposition 35 is one of ten statewide ballot measures that Californians will be voting on this election. It would put new guidelines around Medi-Cal spending to help secure better pay for doctors who serve low-income Californians. Reporter: Kristen Hwang, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the last few months, voting rights advocates have been hitting the ground across the Imperial Valley as part of a new effort to get more people ready to cast their ballots in November. They’re fighting an ongoing battle: decades of low voter turnout. Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS More than 37,000 University of California service and patient care workers are voting this week on whether to authorize a statewide strike. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a win away from a World Series Championship. L.A. defeated the New York Yankees in Game 3 Monday night, 4-2, to take a 3-0 lead in the series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should a California town change its name because of its association with a murderous settler? That’s the question at the heart of a ballot measure this election season, in Lake County. It’s a rural area about two hours drive north of Sacramento. Voters are being asked if the small town of Kelseyville should be renamed Konocti. Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio Southern California’s largest Asian American advocacy group is training its poll monitors to keep an eye out for racist rhetoric and bullying. Reporter: Josie Huang, LAist Californians will vote on ten statewide ballot propositions this fall. Among them is Proposition 2, which would let California borrow $10 billion through a state bond to pay for updates to school facilities. Reporter: Carolyn Jones, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. Forest Service this week directed its employees in California to stop prescribed burning "for the foreseeable future," a directive that officials said is meant to preserve staff and equipment to fight wildfires if needed. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED Californians will vote on ten statewide ballot propositions this fall. Among them is Proposition 3, which would enshrine the right to same-sex marriage in the California constitution. Reporter: Yue Stella Yu, CalMatters Voter support appears to be waning for a ballot measure that would increase the state’s minimum wage. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED The head of the federal agency in charge of securing our nation’s election infrastructure is on a speaking tour, trying to instill confidence in the integrity of the coming vote. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final weeks of the presidential campaign, migration at the U.S.-Mexico border remains a heated topic. Former President Donald Trump calls it an “invasion.” And Vice President Kamala Harris is vowing tougher enforcement. So what is actually happening at the border? Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED The editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times has resigned after the newspaper’s owner, billionaire biotech entrepreneur Patrick Soon-Shiong, blocked the editorials team’s plan to endorse Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Orange County is once again poised to help decide control of Congress this November. The 47th district is one of the swing seats up for grabs. And college education levels are dividing voters in the district’s two largest cities. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED America, Mexico and Los Angeles have all lost an athletic and cultural icon with the death of former L.A. Dodgers player Fernando Valenzuela at the age of 63. Embattled Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do has resigned from his position and agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy to steal millions of taxpayer dollars, funds that were intended to feed seniors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this year, state energy officials approved a strategic master plan to start developing enormous offshore wind farms in the waters off the coast, with hundreds of wind turbines each the size of the Eiffel Tower sitting atop floating platforms. But what's on tap for the growing industry? Guest: Adam Stern, Executive Director of Offshore Wind California It's day 2 of a strike by thousands of Kaiser Permanente mental health care workers in Southern California. More than 100 picketed outside the healthcare provider’s medical center on Sunset Blvd. Monday. Reporter: Robert Garrova, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Weeks Ago, We Heard From an Opponent of Prop 36, Now, We Speak With a Supporter We hear from the owner of a 7-Eleven franchise in Los Angeles, whose store has been targeted by thieves at least twice. He tells us how his experience shaped how he feels about Prop 36. The bill would undo criminal justice reforms that voters approved more than a decade ago; that means tougher sentencing on non-violent crimes, reclassifying some misdemeanors as felonies, and placing harsher penalties on repeat offenders. Kaiser Permanente Workers in Southern California Go on Strike More than 2,400 mental health workers with Kaiser Permanente in Southern California went on strike this morning, setting up picket lines at facilities from Los Angeles to San Diego. Represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, the mental health professionals mobilized to strike over the weekend, after rejecting Kaiser's terms on Friday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Proposition 33 once again puts rent control on the ballot. The previous initiatives failed, but the idea is gaining momentum in California, and nationally. Even President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have embraced it. Still, rent regulations remain controversial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this high stakes election year, many politically-engaged Californians are volunteering in their communities. But some feel they can make more of a difference traveling out of state, like to neighboring Nevada. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million dollars to victims of clergy sex abuse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most healthcare employers in California are required to increase their minimum wage starting Wednesday. This is the first raise of its kind in the U.S. specific to healthcare. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED This fall, school districts throughout the state are asking voters to approve billions of dollars in bonds to repair and renovate aging campuses. But what is a bond? Reporter: Mariana Dale, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Californians gear up for the upcoming election, we've got some big races on the ballot, you know, President of the United States and U.S. Senate. But there's also a pivotal decision looming whether to back a $10 billion state climate bond. Guest: Caleigh Wells, KCRW Governor Gavin Newsom signed a controversial special session measure aimed at lowering gas prices. But it has plenty of critics. Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Proposition 6 on the November ballot aims to get rid of “involuntary servitude” for people in prison. You might know that some of these folks fight wildfires, but people who are in prison also do jobs as varied as cooking and making furniture, and usually they’re paid pennies an hour. Reporter: Audy McAfee The nonprofit California Fire Foundation has expanded its memorial wall, which honors fallen firefighters at the State Capitol. Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last month, a Fresno County ordinance went into effect that prohibits people from sleeping or camping on public property. So where will the city’s thousands of unhoused people go next? An untraditional program is attempting to reduce some barriers to housing. Reporter: Esther Quintanilla, KVPR The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, gives protection from deportation to more than half a million undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. as kids, including tens of thousands in California. The latest in a series of legal battles over the program came Thursday in a federal appeals court. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the campaign trail, Vice President Kamala Harris often talks about standing up for voters. One of her biggest tests of this promise came more than a decade ago, during the peak of the subprime mortgage crisis. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Riverside’s city council struck down a proposal by the city attorney and police department to prohibit items that could be used as weapons during protests. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the race for control of Congress, all eyes are on California. Election analysts see more competitive contests for the House of Representatives here than in any other state. One of those is the 47th District in Orange County, where Democrat Dave Min is taking on Republican Scott Baugh. Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED State workplace regulators have fined a farm labor contractor near Sacramento more than $17,000 for serious heat safety violations. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The recent hot weather has brought attention to schools, and how many of them lack air conditioning and other infrastructure to keep kids safe. The issue is even more crucial at child care centers because young kids have a harder time adapting. Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED Smoggy air has plagued California cities during this recent heat wave. And new research shows that pollution may affect children’s brains. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED Spending more time on screens increases the likelihood that 9-and 10-year-olds will develop symptoms of mental illness. That's according to a new study out this week from UC San Francisco. Reporter: Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices