State utility regulators have approved a controversial proposal that will change how future owners of rooftop solar systems will be compensated for the excess power they produce that’s fed into the grid. 

Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED

After years of promising to do so, CalFire has released new, updated hazard maps to help Californians determine if they live in places that face increased wildfire risk. The interactive map was more than a decade in the making and comes after groups voiced criticism of CalFire, calling the department’s maps antiquated and “inexcusable.”  

Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio

Sea level rise poses a threat to California’s coastline. But we don’t often think about how rising water could push contaminants into neighborhoods, especially places near former military or industrial sites. Around half of those sites in California are located in the Bay Area. 

Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED

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Bakersfield is now home to the Central Valley’s first Holocaust Memorial. The tranquil garden is a monument against hate and rising anti-Semitism. 

Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR 

Study after study shows an alarming increase in hate crimes and racist incidents in California targeting a variety of groups, including Jews. Worries about rising anti-Semitism have gotten more attention recently after the bigoted comments of artist Kanye West who now goes by the name Ye. How is California's Jewish community reacting?

Guest: Heidi Gantwork, President and CEO of the Jewish Foundation of San Diego

The State Task Force studying reparations for Black residents with enslaved ancestors is meeting this week in Oakland. One item on the agenda? Discussing how reparations might help overcome negative stereotypes about Black families. 

Reporter: Annelise Finney, KQED  

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California’s desert lands have long been used for everything from mining to military training to rest and relaxation. Think Palm Springs. Now, the state’s deserts have a growing role in helping to create a green energy revolution. And that's sparked a backlash among some who argue that desert wilderness is being sacrificed for renewable power goals.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

The oil industry says it has enough signatures to get a measure on the state ballot to overturn California's recently enacted buffer zone law. It restricts new oil wells, keeping them away from homes and schools.

Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED 

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The recent sale of five leases off the coast of California for offshore wind turbine projects is seen as a victory for renewable energy advocates. But it’s also raising safety concerns about one of California’s treasures -- the whales that migrate off the coast every year.

Reporter: Amanda Wernik, KCBX

Most of the estimated 270, 000 janitors in California work in the private sector. A new study finds their median wages are well below what state law requires.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

With COVID-19 rates rising, California’s Director of Public Health is urging anyone over 50 years old to have a treatment plan in place in case they get infected.

Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio

California’s COVID sick pay law offers up to 2 weeks of paid leave for reasons related to COVID – but it’s expiring at the end of this month.

Reporter: Carly Severn, KQED

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The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management just sold five leases for wind turbine projects off the coast of California. Three are located in Morro Bay off the Central Coast. Now, local indigenous tribes are speaking up about the projects. 

Reporter: Gabriela Fernandez, KCBX

Every year in the three weeks around Thanksgiving, the official count of monarch butterflies takes place. Over the last few decades, the monarch butterfly population has been in decline. But this year, volunteers counted 129,000 butterflies in San Luis Obispo County alone.

Reporter: Madi Bolaños, The California Report 

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A Bay Area member of Congress says federal immigration authorities plan to end their contract with a Northern California county jail, the last public facility in the state to hold immigrants fighting deportation. It comes after years of outcry over substandard conditions.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

A tiny local election in the Central Valley could have big ripple effects for farming, and water. The Westlands Water District produces crops like tomatoes, garlic, and almonds – and it’s historically fought with environmentalists, who accuse the wealthy farmers there of hogging water. Westlands has just elected a slate of board members promising a new strategy - a recognition that large-scale farming will have to shrink.

Reporter: Dan Charles in collaboration with the Food and Environment Reporting Network

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A new bill introduced this week would make it illegal for unhoused residents in California to sit or sleep in certain public spaces. The proposal is already drawing ire from advocates, who say it does little to solve homelessness. 

Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED  

California is home to the largest population of Cambodians in the U.S.. Most Cambodians who first arrived in the country came as refugees in the 1980s. They were fleeing the communist Khmer Rouge regime where an estimated two million Cambodians were killed through starvation, torture, executions and much more. 40 years later, Cambodians in California are still grappling with mental health issues caused by this genocide. 

Guest: Soreath Hok, Reporter, KVPR

The Interior Department finalized the sale of offshore wind leases along California’s coast on Wednesday. Combined bids totaled more than $750 million. 

Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED 

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If you've ever thought twice about jaywalking because of fear getting a ticket that will soon change. Starting on January 1, California's "Freedom to Walk Act" becomes law. It will prohibit police from writing jaywalking tickets, unless people are caught trying to cross the street in clearly dangerous traffic conditions.

Guest: John Yi, Executive Director of Los Angeles Walks

State Senator Scott Wiener is yet again introducing a bill to make it easier to build affordable housing on land owned by religious groups and nonprofit colleges. This is his third attempt in getting similar legislation passed.

Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED

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Sky-high gas prices this year prompted Governor Gavin Newsom to propose a new law limiting how much oil companies can charge at the pump. Newsom’s proposal would put a cap on how much companies can charge for a gallon of gas and penalize those that charge more. But it doesn’t include specific profit ceilings yet. 

Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio 

Popular countertops made from synthetic stone are making the people who cut and process them sick. Some of these workers – most of whom are immigrants – are dying. The problem is particularly bad in Los Angeles.

Reporter: Leslie Berestein Rojas, KPCC in collaboration with Public Health Watch

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Oil companies spent big in California’s election this year and for good reason: Governor Gavin Newsom is calling on lawmakers to take action to drive down gas prices in a state where drivers pay far more than anywhere else. 

Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED 

California is seeing a surge in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. But there is some good news. California’s top health official says more people are picking up the pace when it comes to getting the updated COVID booster. 

Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio 

Moderate weather and well-timed rainstorms helped ensure a mild 2022 fire season in California. But officials remain cautious, even into December.

Reporter: Julie Cart, CalMatters

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