KQED's The California Report

We're just a week away from the June 2 primary and in California, several younger, more progressive-leaning candidates are looking to replace longtime incumbents. Two congressional races are highlighting this potential "generational change"- the District 7 race pitting Doris Matsui against challenger Mai Vang and the 32nd Congressional District with incumbent Brad Sherman facing off against Jake Levine. Guest: Maya Miller, CalMatters Evacuation orders have been lifted for more than 30,000 Orange County residents who were ordered to leave their home, over concerns a damaged chemical tank in Garden Grove might explode. Many who were forced to evacuate are questioning how safe their neighborhoods are, in the wake of the scare. Reporter: Chelsea Kurnick Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crews have been working around the clock to determine whether a damaged chemical tank in Orange County is still a threat to explode. Thousands remain under evacuation orders in Garden Grove and the surrounding communities. A young boxer from the remote Fresno County town of Huron won bronze in her weight class in the national Golden Gloves tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma this month. To get there, she had to win the California Golden Gloves State Championship in Pasadena in April. But her road to success hasn't been easy. Reporter: Alice Daniel, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In California's crowded race for governor, almost every candidate has made housing affordability a central part of their campaign. While the candidates have varied approaches on this issue, and there's a lot they agree on, there are also some key differences. Guest: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED Data centers are expanding into water-stressed communities across California, like the Imperial Valley. At the same time, data center operators are using loopholes to hide how much water these facilities are using. These findings are from a new report backed by Santa Clara University and the think tank Next10. Reporter: Molly Peterson, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the past four months, many people with friends and family in Iran haven't known if their loved ones are safe. The Iranian government cut off internet access inside the country on January 8 amid widespread protests. There were moments in the weeks that followed when Iranians could access the outside world. But when the U.S. and Israel attacked the country in late February, the blackout resumed. Now, despite the fragile ceasefire, many Americans of Iranian descent are left in limbo, including students at UC Santa Cruz. Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU The First Amendment Coalition is suing Los Angeles Unified, accusing the second largest school district in the country of concealing teacher misconduct records. Reporter: Holly J. McDede, KQED Immigrant detainees at a detention center in the Mojave Desert are staging a hunger and economic strike. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The crowded field of candidates running for governor in the June 2 primary all agree on one thing — the need to make California a more affordable place to live. Prices for housing, electricity and gas here remain far above the national average. But it could be a challenge for any of the candidates to deliver on affordability. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED The Muslim community is mourning the death of three men who were killed in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday. Reporter: Katie Anastas, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five people are dead including two suspected gunmen after a shooting at San Diego's largest mosque. The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime. This week we’ve been taking a look at PG&E. On Monday, we talked about the utility's efforts to keep its Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant open. Today, we’re looking at their political spending. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nuclear advocates are pushing to keep Diablo Canyon – California’s only running nuclear power plant – open even longer than planned. The plant passed its final hurdle to run until 2030 last month, but legislators are talking about extending that expiration date even further. Guest: Laura Klivans, KQED While lawmakers debate how long Diablo Canyon should stay open, local support for the nuclear plant is growing. Reporter: Kendra Hanna Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Six weeks. That's how long state officials say California has until it runs out of a stable supply of gasoline. After that, the supply picture gets a little murky. With the Iran War now in its third month and gas averaging more than $6 a gallon, the state is racing to lock in long-term deals with overseas refiners before that window closes. It's a crisis that's also exposing the tensions in California's long push away from fossil fuels. Guest: Alejandro Lazo, CalMatters Governor Gavin Newsom is pushing for a November ballot measure to stash more of California's tax revenue in a rainy day fund. It's part of a plan for savings that Newsom outlined in his final budget proposal as governor on Thursday. The former chief of staff for Governor Newsom has pleaded guilty to three felony charges, including conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hundreds of Californians who make countertops are getting sick with an often deadly, job-related lung disease. Those who can no longer work because of it are often left struggling to make ends meet, even after pursuing benefits that are supposed to help them long term. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED State health officials have identified another California resident who has been exposed to the deadly hantavirus strain. State lawmakers have a new report on how California can better avoid - or recover from - wildfires and other natural disasters. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the crowded field of mostly Democratic candidates vying to be California’s next governor, one MAGA Republican has had surprising staying power. That’s Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. He’s recently been in national headlines for seizing hundreds of thousands of ballots, among other controversies. Bianco has built his profile on bashing the state’s Democrats and Governor Gavin Newsom. Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR The World Cup is officially one month away. And some LA advocates aren’t happy about how organizers plan to address human rights. Reporter: Libby Rainey, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Driven by concerns that Democrats could be locked out of this year's governor's race, a new ballot initiative seeks to repeal California’s top-two primary system. Reporter: Izzy Bloom, KQED State lawmakers are considering a bill that would require California’s DMV to notify vehicle owners when their towed cars are sold for profit. Reporter: Byrhonda Lyons, CalMatters An investigation from KQED and ProPublica's Local Reporting Network found dozens of cases where California has not revoked educators’ teaching credentials, despite schools determining they committed sexual harassment or misconduct of a sexual nature. Reporter: Holly J. McDede, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Several state bills pending in Sacramento this week seek more guardrails on Artificial Intelligence in the workplace. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED A proposed state budget change could stall the program that sends behavioral health workers — instead of police — to respond to mental health emergencies. Reporter: Ana Ibarra, CalMatters California’s newest grade — transitional kindergarten — has been lauded as a success, with enrollment doubling over the past few years. But that growth has come at a cost, pulling 4-year-olds out of community-based preschools. Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ron Eby spent 20 years in the Navy before he retired from his role as a commander. But after a while, he got bored - so he signed up for a new covert mission. Looking for otters. Not enemy warships, but threatened sea otters, as a volunteer with the Elkhorn Slough Reserve in Moss Landing. Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU U.S. Senator Adam Schiff and Central Coast Congressman Salud Carbajal joined Chumash Coastal Band leaders and environmental groups on the Central Coast Thursday. They criticized the Trump administration’s support for restarting an oil pipeline linked to the 2015 Refugio spill. Reporter: Gabriela Fernandez, KCBX A number of California residents, who’ve since returned home, are confirmed to have been among the passengers on a cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As wildfires become more destructive in California, the need for forensic investigations is increasing. Specifically: the need for finding and identifying bodies after a wildfire. A recent intensive academy at Fresno City College addressed this need by training working professionals. Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR Advocates are criticizing the state's tracking of evictions, saying California has failed to accurately count them for decades, and drumming up support for a bill that would more closely monitor it. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED Humboldt County Supervisors are looking at creating a civilian oversight committee for the sheriff’s office. They’re trying to get ahead of a possible citizen initiative. Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Immigration enforcement is affecting recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. Since 2012, the program has allowed people brought to the United States as children to stay in the US and work, go to school, and buy property. But one Sacramento woman's life unraveled within days of learning that her immigration case was being reopened. Reporter: Gerardo Zavala, CapRadio The U.S. Department of Education is investigating how the Los Angeles Unified School District handles allegations of sexual misconduct involving teachers and students. Governor Gavin Newsom is asking California election officials to speed up their vote count in the June primary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A major change to a federal farmworker visa program known as H-2A is sparking a heated debate across California. The program allows farms to bring in temporary workers from other countries, but a change from the Trump administration has altered how they are paid, sparking a lawsuit from the United Farmworkers Union. Supporters say it’s a lifeline for farmers facing rising labor costs. Critics call it a wage cut that could push local workers out of the fields. Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report A man who was shot multiple times by immigration agents last month in the Central California community of Patterson pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges. San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney is trying again to expand drug-free housing for people leaving homelessness, after Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year. A bill moving through the California legislature would require independent evaluations of new education programs, like transitional kindergarten. Reporter: Elly Yu, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shasta County voters will consider a ballot measure that's faced legal challenges before the primary election. It could change the way elections are conducted in the county. Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio The World Cup is about a month away. And FIFA luxury suites can cost over $200,000 for a single match in Los Angeles. Union workers at SoFi Stadium say they want their pay to reflect that wealth. Reporter: Libby Rainey, LAist SAG-AFTRA, the union representing Hollywood actors, has reached a tentative four-year deal with major studios. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Environmentalists say the Trump Administration is being short sighted in its decision to offer to buy out the leases of some offshore wind energy projects along California’s Central Coast. Reporter: Lance Orozco, KCLU Peach growers in the Yuba-Sutter region and Central Valley are being thrown a lifeline from Washington, D.C. The move follows the closure of a major cannery that’s left farmers without a buyer for their fruit. Reporter: Claudia Brancart, North State Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California lawmakers are considering new rules for electric bikes as safety concerns grow on roads and trails. But experts say much of the data behind those concerns is misleading. Reporter: Gerardo Zavala, CapRadio New research from UC Santa Cruz shows climate change is a bigger threat to California’s native trees than previously thought. Reporter: Erin Malsbury, KAZU To the north of the Imperial Valley, another battleground is emerging in the debate over AI data centers. Residents are pushing back against a large data center campus in the city of Coachella. Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re less than a week away from the start of voting in California’s June primary and the race for governor remains up for grabs. On Tuesday night, the leading candidates made their pitch to voters in a CBS debate at Pomona College - east of Los Angeles, and things got messy. Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED In a move immigration and privacy advocates call a “betrayal,” California is preparing to share detailed information about its driver’s license holders with a national database that connects DMVs. Opponents say the move could put more than a million undocumented people who have California driver’s licenses at risk. Reporter: Khari Johnson, CalMatters The city of Marina in Monterey County is reactivating a 30-year-old desalination plant to help boost water supply. Reporter: Ngozi Cole, KAZU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices