By law, California's legislature and the governor must approve a budget by July 1st, the start of the state’s fiscal year. But with that deadline looming, lawmakers and Governor Newsom still haven't struck a budget agreement.

Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio

A 2017 law to streamline new housing construction and override neighborhood opposition has been hailed as one of the most successful tools in the state to help solve California’s housing crisis. But this well-intentioned legislation is producing some unintended consequences for a small and underserved community in one of the richest counties in the state.

Reporter: Madi Bolaños, The California Report

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The U.S. is now the second country in the world to approve the sale of cultivated meat. The meat from Bay Area companies Upside Foods and Good Meat doesn’t come from slaughtered animals. Rather it’s made from animal cells. 

Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report

 In honor of Juneteenth, The California Report Magazine. is celebrating with stories of creative, powerful Black women, and the house in Oakland that has become the center of their movement. 

Reporters: The Kitchen Sisters, The California Report Magazine

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California officials are pressuring textbook publishers to produce culturally diverse materials for California classrooms. This comes in light of book bans across the country.

Reporter: Riley Palmer, KQED

Last fall, Sacramento became one of the latest California cities to ban homeless encampments on public property, after voters approved a controversial law called Measure O. Enforcement of the measure is off to a sluggish start.

Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio  

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California’s sky high housing costs are the biggest contributor to homelessness, and older residents are feeling it the most. That’s according to a new study from the University of California, San Francisco.

Reporter: Sydney Johnson, KQED 

Hospitals and workers agree - California has a healthcare staffing shortage.  What they don’t agree on is how to fix it. Democrats in the state legislature are pushing to increase the minimum wage for health care workers to $25 an hour. But hospitals, counties, and business groups say now isn’t the right time.

Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio

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When a levee burst in a January rainstorm in the Central Valley town of Planada, floodwaters wrecked the homes of hundreds of farmworker families. In March, the same thing happened again, a levee failed in the Salinas Valley and inundated the farmworker town of Pajaro. Those communities are now pushing to get some real help in the state budget.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

Abortion access is a Constitutional right in California. Yet lawmakers here continue to struggle to regulate so-called crisis pregnancy centers – facilities that abortion advocates say mislead women seeking abortion care.

Reporter: Kristen Hwang, CalMatters 

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Later this month, the statewide task force studying reparations for black Californians will submit its historic final report to the state legislature for consideration.  Most of the focus has been on monetary reparations, but some say the task force will take a bigger picture approach.

Lawmakers in the state senate will consider a bill on Tuesday that aims to help low-income teens access mental health treatment. But some affluent parents say it would take away their rights.

Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED

California lawmakers are now waiting for Governor Gavin Newsom to sign off on their proposed state budget. Among the countless line items – $10 million set aside for LGBTQ + services at California community colleges. 

Reporter: Adam Echelman, CalMatters 

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Mayors across California are feeling the pressure to reduce street homelessness and tent encampments. So, they’re increasingly turning to temporary housing as a solution. But investments in shelters could come at the expense of permanent housing.

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

California prides itself on being a diverse state. But actually connecting people who have radically different life experiences can be a challenge. The Santa Monica public library is hosting events to encourage deep one-on-one conversations between people from different backgrounds. It’s called a “Human Library.” 

Reporter: Claire Wiley

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A busload of more than 40 migrants, sent by the state of Texas, arrived in Los Angeles Wednesday afternoon.  The group included at least eight children.

Questions linger about how two groups of migrants ended up on flights to Sacramento earlier this month. Some asylum seekers now say the state of Florida hired contractors to push them to get on the flights. 

Guest: Jack Herrera, L.A. Times national correspondent

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Local and state officials are cracking down on the use of gas-powered gardening equipment, like leaf blowers. But not everyone is thrilled about these changes.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

Tijuana’s migrant shelters are struggling to stay afloat. A few things threaten their long term future: declining donations and rising costs.

Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS

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20 members of Congress from California sent a letter to the EPA. They're worried that a rule intended to improve air quality could make it harder to conduct prescribed burns.

Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED

The rejection of a social studies textbook by three conservative Christian school board members in Temecula is causing more upheaval. While California's Attorney General awaits a response from the board to justify its decision, some community members in Temecula are pushing for a recall of the board members.

Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR 

Residents are moving into an all-electric housing development in the sunny, arid city of Menifee in Riverside County. There are roughly 200 single-family homes, all designed to create zero harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED

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