The State of California

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DIÁRIO

A daily deep dive into an issue of public policy or politics that's driving the conversation in California. Each day, we interview a guest who's a newsmaker, public official, or expert.

HÁ 17 H

Devastating wildfires continue to decimate the greater Los Angeles area

Wildfires continue to ravage the greater Los Angeles area this afternoon, with five major fires that have claimed at least five lives and thousands of structures. This includes many, many homes belonging to everyone from celebrities like Billy Crystal and John Goodman in Pacific Palisades to working class suburbanites, with no end in sight to the whipping winds and spreading flames. This is going to end up as the costliest fire in California history. For more, KCBS political reporter Doug Sovern spoke with Mark Whaling, a former Los Angeles Fire Captain and battalion chief who spent 42 years fighting fires, including in the Morgan Hill and Monterey fire departments and now owns and runs Whaling Fire Line, which makes equipment for fighting wildland fires.

8min
HÁ 1 DIA

Strong Santa Ana winds and lack of typical winter rain fueling LA fires

The Los Angeles area continues to be devastated by horrific January wildfires, which have killed at least five people and destroyed an unknown number of homes. The fires have been fueled by a dry rainy season in the Southland and fierce Santa Ana winds, topping out at 100 miles an hour. There’s been only about a third of an inch of rain in downtown LA since the rain season began in October, and none at all since the start of winter, far below the normal amount of precipitation the southland usually receives. That combined with this historic wind event made conditions ripe for just the kind of devastation we are seeing. For more, KCBS Radio News anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart and KCBS political reporter Doug Sovern spoke with Stanford climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh, professor in the Department of Earth System Science and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University.

7min
HÁ 2 DIAS

Former Rep. Barbara Lee hints at potential run for Oakland mayor

Oakland has its third mayor in three weeks, and a big name politician is poised to try to take the job next. Longtime Representative Barbara Lee, who just left Congress, seems ready to announce that she will run to replace recalled Mayor Sheng Thao. For now, the interim mayor of Oakland is Kevin Jenkins, a young city councilmember and former Peralta College Board trustee, who was unanimously elected temporary mayor by the newly seated Council. That makes veteran councilmember Noal Gallo council president while Jenkins serves as Mayor, until the city can hold a special election in April. Sheng Thao stepped down three weeks ago after she was recalled by voters. Then council president Nikki Fortunato Bas acted as mayor for three weeks before moving to her new seat on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. Now it’s Jenkins’ turn. A complicated and confusing sequence of events, and it isn’t over yet, because Oakland will get its fourth mayor in the span of four months when someone is elected in April to finish Thao’s term. Who will that person be? It’s looking more likely that it will be Barbara Lee. For more, KCBS Radio news anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart spoke with KCBS Radio political reporter Doug Sovern.

8min
HÁ 3 DIAS

Governor Newsom's proposed budget would balance the books

Governor Newsom gave a sneak peek at his proposed budget for the next fiscal year today, balancing the books despite record spending. His budget blueprint includes a substantial reserve fund, thanks to higher than expected tax revenues from a strong stock market. Governor Newsom projects a balanced budget of about 322 billion dollars, with a cash reserve of about 17 billion dollars. That’s a much brighter picture than last year’s spending plan, which required cuts to erase a deficit of about 56 billion dollars over two years. That two-year spending plan, along with a surge in income tax revenues, means California faces no deficit in the near term. The governor will lay out his full budget plan this Friday, and says it will include a larger investment in education, including full implementation of universal Transitional Kindergarten, expanded afterschool programs and universal free school lunches. For more on this, KCBS Insider Doug Sovern spoke with Bettye Lusk, President of the California School Boards Association. This is the State of California.

9min
HÁ 6 DIAS

SC Supervisor Joe Simitian reflects on 41 years of public service

Doug Sovern is off this week. Santa Clara Supervisor Joe Simitian is stepping away from politics after a career spanning more than four decades serving the public. He won his first election to Palo Alto's School Board in 1983 and has sat on a governing body throughout the evolution of the socio-economic landscape of the South Bay and how those factors have impacted the politics of the region. For a reflection on his long-standing career and what he sees in store for the Bay Area, KCBS Radio news anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart spoke with now-former Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian.

9min
3 DE JAN.

New law will keep medical debt off your credit report

The start of the new year is also marking a new start for many Californians who struggle with medical debt. As of January 1st, a new state law will keep medical debt off your credit report, which lawmakers say will help protect credit scores and encourage people to seek medical treatment when they need it. The law is being seen as a big win by consumer advocates in a state where nearly 40% of people carry some type of medical debt. That number climbs to more than half for low-income residents. For more, KCBS Radio news anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart spoke with State Senator Josh Becker, co-author of the bill.

8min
31/12/2024

November's election showed broken norms for blue states like California

The results of November's election broke a number of norms for many so-called blue states, including California, where the number of Trump voters in the state jumped by more than 40 percent between 2016 and 2024. It was also a similar story with the bills that voters approved, with Californians passing laws that made the state tougher on crime while rejecting laws that would have raised the minimum wage and ended involuntary prison labor. For more, KCBS Radio news anchor Patti Reising spoke with Melanie Mason, Politico's senior politics reporter who covers California.

9min
30/12/2024

Medi-Cal reforms to reduce resources for substance abuse programs

Reforms coming to Medi-Cal, the health care provider for low-income Californians, are threatening addiction treatment and mental health services. It's an unintended consequence of the state's health care expansion efforts. For more, KCBS Radio news anchor Patti Reising spoke with Grant Stringer, enterprise reporter for the Bay Area News Group.

7min

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A daily deep dive into an issue of public policy or politics that's driving the conversation in California. Each day, we interview a guest who's a newsmaker, public official, or expert.