For centuries, Mexico has capitalized on growing and harvesting a plant often distilled into Tequila or Mezcal. It’s called agave and it thrives on little water and a lot of heat. Now, with a California law restricting water use on farms, Valley farmers are looking to agave as a new revenue stream on their land.

Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR

California’s highest court is weighing whether a sheriff broke the law when he seized hundreds of thousands of ballots earlier this year. The court heard oral arguments yesterday.

Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR

The Trump administration ended a long standing agreement that kept ICE out of workplaces that the U.S. Department of LABOR is investigating.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero

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Across the US, communities are mobilizing in the fight against data centers. And they’re turning to Monterey Park in LA County, which this year became the first city in the US to ban them. That was entirely due to the efforts of a group of residents called, appropriately, No Data Center Monterey Park. So, what advice do they have?

Reporter: Brandon Reynolds, KCRW

The California Supreme Court will hear arguments today in two separate lawsuits over the Riverside County sheriff’s seizure of hundreds of thousands of ballots earlier this year.

Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR

Counties up and down the state are reporting decreases in their homeless populations.

Reporter: Marisa Kendall, CalMatters

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California Senators are expressing grave concern over a plan by Shasta County’s top elections official to hire former Colorado clerk Tina Peters who was convicted in an election interference case in 2024.

Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED

Hayward State Senator Aisha Wahab is the Bay Area's newest member of Congress after winning a special election for the seat formerly held by Eric Swalwell.

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

Health Net, one of the largest Medi-Cal insurers, is planning to cancel assisted living benefits for members by the end of this year.

Reporter: Kristen Hwang, CalMatters

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Thousands of Ukrainians across the Bay Area are waiting anxiously for a decision today from the Trump administration on whether they’ll be able to stay – or told to go back to a war zone.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

California is experiencing hotter days more frequently each year… while many families are struggling to get access to AC.

Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED

Governor Gavin Newsom says California will fight the Trump administration’s push to open national forests up to commercial use.

Reporter: Katherine Monahan, KQED

Before any of the cities, cars and highways that came to dominate California’s landscape, the vast open land was home to many animals, plants and natural ecosystems. Today, much of the geography has been engineered for human development – and with it… a host of non-native species and insects. But just outside Fresno, there’s an effort to bring the native ecosystem into balance with the new.

Reporter: Cresencio Rodriguez Delgado

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A federal judge in Oakland heard opening statements in a lawsuit brought by four states against Meta.

Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED

A national survey by a California advocacy group found that 70 percent of teenagers are using Artificial Intelligence to complete their schoolwork.

Reporter: Jose Velazquez, KQED

It’s been five years since the Caldor Fire nearly burned down the entire community of Grizzly Flats, a remote canyon town nestled in El Dorado County. Since then, residents say they’ve received little to no help from the federal government and the community is working to become whole again.

Reporter: Riley Palmer, CapRadio

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A California lifeguard and the boy he rescued off the coast of Santa Cruz last month were reunited at the White House yesterday as the president honored both as heroes.

Reporter: Angela Corral, The California Report

Governor Gavin Newsom has set a goal to add 2.5 million new units to California’s housing stock by 2030.

Reporter: Ben Christopher, CalMatters

A state bill heading for a final vote as early as this week would permanently extend a fund to help oil industry workers affected by California’s transition away from fossil fuels.

Reporter: Julie Small, KQED

A federal judge in Oakland is weighing whether a Trump administration plan to replace a network of seasoned legal aid organizations with new groups is an adequate way to represent unaccompanied children in immigration court.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

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A significant El Niño will continue warming California coastal waters into fall and winter, and likely bring new marine visitors to Monterey Bay.

Reporter: Katie Brown, KAZU

Republican lawmakers are pushing new measures with the goal of making California’s top elections office nonpartisan.

Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio

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Dinosaur bones and taxidermied animals get most of the attention at the Natural History Museum in LA County. But researchers are excited about a new collection that could have big implications for monitoring climate change. 

Reporter: Lucas Brady Woods, LAist

Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report

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Central Coast leaders are saying the threat of offshore drilling could extend beyond the environment to the region’s economy.

Reporter: Jillian Smith/KAZU

Since the pandemic, Californians have been able to get craft liquor delivered to their doorstep. But it could be last call for deliveries from small distilleries, unless lawmakers intervene soon.

Reporter: Ryan Sabalow/CalMatters

For many young people the default blueprint for life after high school is clear: go to college, and then get a job. But with soaring tuition, and an uncertain job market, that calculus isn’t adding up like it used to. Today, more young people are considering the skilled trades.

Reporter: Megan Jamerson/KCRW

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Demand for pistachios is booming worldwide – from Dubai-inspired chocolate bars to pistachio cookies and lattes. But in the Central Valley, growers are worried that this year’s harvest could be smaller than anticipated. That’s after some unexpected weather earlier this spring.

Reporter: Samantha Rangel, KVPR

People in five Monterey County zones have been evacuated due to the Timber Fire in Big Sur. It’s burned more than 3,000 acres and hundreds of homes are currently threatened. A portion of Highway One is now closed, due to the spread of the fire. The limited access to the area has also threatened the lives of two captive birds.

Reporter: Amy Mayer, KAZU

A bill advancing in the state Legislature would limit how long law enforcement agencies can retain data from license plate readers. The proposal caps that retention period at 30 days. And it comes amid growing concern that license plate reader data is being shared and used inappropriately.

Reporter: Ryan Sabalow, CalMatters

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