For families here in California, Thanksgiving often means gathering with friends and family and celebrating with food and drinks. But the holiday has a much different meaning for California’s Native American community.

Guest: Gerald Clarke, ethnic studies professor at UC Riverside and member of the Cahuilla Band of Indians

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Christmas is just around the corner. So let's head to Eureka in Humboldt County, where Sequoia Park Zoo is preparing for the holidays with a living Christmas tree that may just take the title of tallest in the nation from the neighboring town of Ferndale.

Guest: Jennifer Fumiko Cahill, North Coast Journal 

Pacific Gas and Electric is asking the California Public Utilities Commission to approve another rate hike. That's meant to generate more than $3 billion to help connect customers to the grid and make capacity upgrades. 

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Environmental groups and irrigation districts are working to bring more salmon back in the Tuolumne River near Modesto. Salmon used to thrive in California, but decades of environmental degradation have reduced their population to about one percent of historical levels. Now people are trying to help them recover by rebuilding their habitat, but environmentalists argue that what’s really needed is just more water. 

Reporter: Katherine Monahan, KQED

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Renters in the small, mostly working-class Southern California city of Imperial Beach are sounding alarms after the owners of one apartment complex issued a mass eviction notice. Tenants are now urging the City Council to step in.

Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS

The California Department of Public Health is warning consumers not to drink a specific type of raw milk due to the detection of bird flu. The affected milk is from Raw Farm LLC of Fresno County. The company has issued a voluntary recall of the affected milk. 

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It’s been more than a year and a half since a levee breach flooded the community of Pajaro. The state of California gave Monterey County $20 million for recovery, with $10 million earmarked for direct aid to residents and businesses. But Pajaro residents are still waiting on most of that money.

Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU

A powerful atmospheric river continues to slam Northern California. Weather conditions have toppled trees, flooded roads, left thousands without power, and forced the closure of some schools as a precautionary measure. The National Weather Service warns Eureka and Humboldt County could see extensive flooding. 

Reporter: Sukey Lewis, KQED

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President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the country's Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy has promised that the Trump administration will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water on day one in office. But what will that mean for water, and our teeth?

Guest: Dr. Howard Pollick, Professor of Dentistry, UCSF

The state Legislature’s fiscal analyst is out with its first round of budget projections this week. The takeaway? The budget is roughly balanced, for now.

Reporter: Alexei Koseff, CalMatters

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Several California tribes are renewing their push for the federal government to protect their ancestral lands. They’re urging the Biden administration to create three new national monuments across the state before the end of the year.

Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS

On Wednesday, unions representing tens of thousands of healthcare, professional, service and technical employees at the University of California launched a two-day strike.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

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If you’re one of the unlucky people who get bitten by a venomous snake, you’re going to need antivenom. And it’s costly. Millions of Californians live in rattlesnake territory, and are unaware that the medical bill could be enormous.

Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KFF Health News

It's been two weeks since Lake County’s Measure U asked voters if the town of Kelseyville should change its name to Konocti. Over 70% voted against the change.

Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio 

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President-elect Donald Trump has yet to announce his pick to lead the Labor Department. His choice will reveal the direction the administration plans for the agency.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

The first case of a more severe strain of mpox has been found in California. State health officials confirmed the first known U.S. case of the strain – known as clade I – in San Mateo County over the weekend.

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The LA County city of Inglewood has been on a roll the last few years. SoFi Stadium, home to two NFL teams, the L.A. Rams and L.A. Chargers opened in 2020 at a cost of over $5 billion. And just this year, the Intuit Dome became the home of the LA Clippers. While the sport venues were supposed to be a boon for the area, some Black-owned small business owners say they're actually doing more damage than good.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

The Palm Springs City Council unanimously approved a settlement with Section 14 residents and descendants Thursday night. The neighborhood was home to mostly Black and Latino families, whose homes were burned down by the city in the 1960's.  

Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report

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