Episodes

  • The Nüümü People Claim LA Stole Their Water, Now They're Fighting for Its Return

    The Nüümü People Claim LA Stole Their Water, Now They're Fighting for Its Return
    May 17 2024
    Back in the early 1900s, the burgeoning city of Los Angeles needed water, and the Owens Valley—more than 200 miles northeast—had plenty of it. Today, about a third of LA’s water supply comes from the Owens Valley and other parts of the Eastern Sierra. But the city got that water at the expense of the Nüümü people, who have been working to get it back ever since. This week, reporter Teresa Cotsirilos from the Food and Environment Reporting Network brings us the story of one tribal elder's fight to reclaim these water rights for his community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 mins
  • The First Indigenous-Named Marine Sanctuary; A Climber's Story; A New Home for a Beloved Diner

    The First Indigenous-Named Marine Sanctuary; A Climber's Story; A New Home for a Beloved Diner
    May 10 2024
    California's Central Coast is the ancestral homeland of indigenous California tribes including the Chumash and Salinan peoples. For years, the Northern Chumash have been working to create a new marine sanctuary. If the federal government approves that designation this summer, California would be home to the first national marine sanctuary nominated by, and named after, an indigenous tribe. It’s the culmination of decades of tribal conservation work. And, as reporter Benjamin Purper tells us, it’s also the legacy of a father and daughter. Later, we talk to professional rock climber Beth Rodden who has conquered some of the most treacherous climbs in the world. She was the first woman to complete two routes up Yosemite's famous El Capitan, with no gear helping to pull her up. But despite her success, she’s battled raging self-doubt and multiple injuries. Rodden spoke to KQED's Bianca Taylor about her new memoir, A Light Through the Cracks: A Climber's Story. Finally, we're revisiting a story from our Hidden Gems series about an old-school Los Angeles diner called Dinah’s, which closed its doors at the end of April. A developer bought the restaurant site and announced ambitious plans for new construction. Dinah’s is reopening as a new kind of restaurant in Culver City, but it’s the end of an era for the diner that’s been serving customers for more than six decades in the same location near the LA airport. Sasha Khokha takes us there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 mins
  • ‘I’m Gonna Miss It’: Saying Goodbye to San Francisco's Beloved Cabaret, AsiaSF

    ‘I’m Gonna Miss It’: Saying Goodbye to San Francisco's Beloved Cabaret, AsiaSF
    May 3 2024
    Famous for showcasing transgender performers for more than a quarter century, AsiaSF, the beloved San Francisco restaurant and club, closed its doors this week. Reporter Wilma Consul went to one of the final shows at AsiaSF, and tells us how the groundbreaking venue became a place where people from all over the world could find joy and authenticity. And, California has had a state flower and state animal for awhile now, but this year we finally got an official state mushroom. KQED's Danielle Venton takes us foraging to try to find the Golden Chanterelle. Finally, we head to Fresno County, where a group of farmworkers living in a mobile home park did something that might seem impossible in a time of rising housing costs: They bought the park from their corporate landlords. The California Report’s Madi Bolanos tells us how they did it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 mins
  • A Peek Behind the Scenes at the California Report Magazine

    A Peek Behind the Scenes at the California Report Magazine
    May 1 2024
    We're in your feeds a little early this week, but for good reason: We're giving you a little peek behind the scenes! You'll be meeting some of the people who make The California Report Magazine, and we'll take you through the process of how a story gets made. If you like what you hear, please consider visiting donate.kqed.org/podcast and supporting the work we do at KQED. Thanks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    5 mins
  • Parents (and Teachers) Just Don't Understand

    Parents (and Teachers) Just Don't Understand
    Apr 26 2024
    It's Youth Takeover week here at KQED, a time when we hand the mics over to local high school students. This year, we hear from teens at Fremont High School in in East Oakland. They talk about the challenges they face right now and tell us why they feel so misunderstood. And we visit the San Fernando Valley, where high school seniors have taken over one of the most anticipated rights of passage: prom. LAist's Mariana Dale discovered a program at Sylmar Charter High School where students don’t just choose the theme and set up decorations: they actually grow and arrange the flowers for the big event. Plus, why doesn't California have more school buses? How kids get to and from school is a big part of the school experience for many kids. But if you’ve been looking closely you may have noticed there aren’t as many school buses as there are in other states. Katrina Schwartz, who’s a producer with KQED’s Bay Curious podcast, set out to figure out why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 mins
  • After Parole, ICE Deported This Refugee Back to a Country He Never Knew

    After Parole, ICE Deported This Refugee Back to a Country He Never Knew
    Apr 19 2024
    After escaping genocide in Cambodia, Phoeun You’s family settled in Long Beach. But after being bullied as a teen, You joined a gang. He ended up shooting and killing a teenager. You served 25 years in California prisons and tried to turn his life around while he was behind bars. He thought he'd gotten that chance when he was granted parole, but upon release, he was deported to a country he had never really known. Producer Mateo Schimpf brings us his story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 mins
  • Why Italians in California Were Treated as 'Enemy Aliens' During WWII

    Why Italians in California Were Treated as 'Enemy Aliens' During WWII
    Apr 12 2024
    Within months of the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, as more than 100,000 Japanese Americans were being sent to incarceration camps, other ethnic groups also became the target of new wartime security measures. Italian citizens living near California’s coastline and military sites — some 10,000 of them — were forced to leave their homes and find somewhere else to live. It was just one of many government measures meant to protect the West Coast from an enemy invasion that never came. Reporter Pauline Bartolone brings us this story from the Bay Curious podcast. Plus, we look at the labor behind reality television. From blind dates to tiny homes, the genre has exploded in recent years But some workers say the success of the industry hasn't translated into stability for people behind the scenes. Guest host Bianca Taylor talks to KCRW's Megan Jamerson, who's talked to some reality TV workers who say they’re being overworked and underpaid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 mins
  • Making a Home in Fire Country

    Making a Home in Fire Country
    Apr 5 2024
    As journalists, we don’t often tell our own stories. We separate ourselves from the issues we cover. But sometimes, the story hits close to home. This week, we’re featuring a story from Erin Baldassari, KQED’s Senior Editor for Housing Affordability. Growing up in California's Sierra Nevada foothills, wildfire has always been part of her consciousness. Her earliest memory is fleeing a fire as it bore down on her childhood home. As she and her family consider moving back, she wanted to learn how people there are adapting to the rising risk of wildfires due to climate change. Erin’s story comes to us from the KQED podcast, Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 mins