The California Report is on the scene of the Alisal fire in the Los Padres National Forest near Santa Barbara, which has caused evacuations and major highway closures. KVMR’s resident water expert, Steve Baker, is back, and Paul Emery’s got him for a conversation about the Southern California oil spill. And in this week’s Money Matters, Marc Cuniberti considers an idea way out of the box -- a single trillion-dollar coin to solve the nation’s debt problems. 

Steve Baker and Paul Emery have a conversation about the Southern California oil spill.

California residents awoke today to an array of new laws, signed yesterday by Governor Gavin Newsom before Sunday night’s legislative deadline. The California Report offers an overview. Then we turn our attention to National Native News. Festivities take place across the country in celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day and President Biden restores protection to Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.
 
Have you ever wondered about the history of fire? We take a look at regional headlines and weather before science correspondent Al Stahler lets us in on its origin story.

While some Bay Area cities are poised to end mask mandates, the California Report goes to Los Angeles to examine the city’s strict new vaccination ordinance. With covid taking up our mental bandwidth, along with fires and oil spills, some folks are struggling with saving water too. After a roundup of regional news and weather, Bravehearts is back, and we close with an essay by Molly Fisk. 

After an update on the Huntington Beach oil spill and news from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the California Report asks why some homes in Paradise survived the 2018 Camp Fire while most did not.
After regional headlines and weather, Felton Pruitt talks to Beth Moore about Nevada County Safe: a partnership of Nevada County businesses. We close with a personal report about religious exemptions from the vaccine mandate by regular commentator, Chaplain Norris Burkes.