Federal labor enforcement authorities recover millions of dollars for workers each year from employers who break minimum wage, overtime pay and other laws. But a significant chunk of that money never makes it to wage-theft victims, many of whom are in California.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

State lawmakers are jockeying to push remaining bills through to Governor Newsom before the Legislature adjourns on Saturday. 

Reporter: Sameea Kamal, CalMatters

A bill that would compensate people for property taken by racially-motivated uses of eminent domain is headed to the governor’s desk after being approved by the state legislature on Thursday.

Reporter: Annelise Finney, KQED 

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When the state is dealing with a big budget deficit, it's harder to get bills with big price tags approved. But now, a handful of lawmakers say they think the Newsom administration purposely overestimated how much their bills would cost to help ensure they wouldn't advance in the legislature.

Guest: Ryan Sabalow, CalMatters

A milestone in the largest dam removal in U.S. history happened early Wednesday. Two temporary dams were breached, directing the Klamath River back into its historic channel for the first time in more than a century.

Reporter: Juliet Grable, Jefferson Public Radio

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A bill making its way through the state legislature in Sacramento would commemorate a little-known chapter of US history: a large-scale deportation of Mexicans – and Mexican-Americans – nearly a century ago that hit California hard. It comes in an election year when mass deportation is again a political topic. 

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

Undocumented immigrants may soon qualify for a California program that gives loans to first time, first generation home-buyers. A bill expanding the program - known as The California Dream For All - advanced in the state senate on Tuesday. 

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If you’ve had a close loved one pass away, what comes next includes a lot of logistical hurdles: planning a funeral, reading a will, and deciding what to do with their body. There’s traditional burial, there’s cremation, and recently a new method has taken off. It’s called terramation. Basically, human composting.

Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW

Public school teachers in California are required to call the police if a student assaults or threatens them. This week, state lawmakers will vote on a bill that could change that.

Reporter: Jenna Peterson, CalMatters

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It's the last week for state lawmakers to decide on a set of reparation bills meant to address hundreds of years of racial discrimination. Meanwhile in Santa Monica, one woman is still seeking justice decades after the city took her father's land. Silas White was a black entrepreneur who planned to turn the land into a beach club for black beach goers. In March, the Santa Monica City Council voted to explore compensating White's descendants for his plot of land. But in late July, the city missed its self-imposed deadline for a report that would have provided recommendations on reparations to the council.

Guests: Connie White, daughter of Silas White and Kavon Ward, CEO of Where Is My Land 

State occupational health and safety regulators are trying to speed up their investigations of fatal accidents.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

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On the biggest stage of her political career, Kamala Harris introduced herself as the party’s official presidential nominee. In a packed arena at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Harris addressed delegates, elected officials and voters.

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As record-breaking temperatures melt California this summer, medical professionals are sounding the alarm about the added risks extreme heat poses to people with diabetes. But one bakery in Imperial County has some solutions.

Reporter: Philip Salata, inewsource

The Newsom administration has cut a deal with Google and OpenAI to kill two state bills that would have made tech platforms share ad revenues with news organizations. 

Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED

San Bernardino County is California’s largest county in terms of size, with a population of just over 2 million people. The county has studied the idea of seceding from the rest of California, arguing that San Bernardino County doesn’t get its fair share of state money. But a new independent study that’s out says that argument is just wrong.

Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR 

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For the last ten years, something strange has been happening in Monterey Bay. Juvenile white sharks, whose range historically didn’t reach Northern California, have been spotted in droves in places like Aptos and Marina. And these new predators are changing the ecosystem.

Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU

Governor Newsom touted new job figures showing the state added thousands of fast-food jobs this year. Those gains occurred after California raised the minimum wage for most fast food workers to $20 an hour in April.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED 

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University of California President Michael Drake sent out a letter this week calling on campuses to enforce a zero tolerance policy when it comes to protest encampments on college campuses. But some UC students say the crackdown is untenable.

Reporter: Billy Cruz, The California Report

Long Beach is the latest city in California to tackle the issue of homeless encampments. Because of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on encampments, giving cities more leeway to enforce anti-camping regulations, more local governments will likely take the same route as Long Beach, and start to clear the unhoused population off the streets. Governor Gavin Newsom has also threatened to withhold state funds if cities don’t start working to clear encampments.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

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For decades, Hollywood Boulevard has been marketed to the world as a glamorous and sophisticated place. But the reality of contemporary Hollywood Boulevard is very different. Some blocks, like around Grauman’s Theater, are packed with throngs of tourists, merchants and street performers. But they’re on overcrowded sidewalks with few amenities, like shade and seating. But planners are working to make it more friendly for walkers and cyclists alike.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

Thousands of Democratic Party delegates, party leaders and politicians are in Chicago to kick off this week’s Democratic National Convention and officially name Vice President Kamala Harris as their party's presidential candidate.

Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

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