Oil Company Charged in Orange County Oil Spill
A federal grand jury has charged a Houston-based oil company in connection with October's Southern California oil spill. Federal prosecutors say Amplify Energy and two of its subsidiaries were negligent by failing to respond to a series of alarms that should have alerted them to the spill, hours before a ruptured pipeline was shut off.
Project Homekey Expanding in Parts of the State
California is expanding its program aimed at creating more housing for unhoused people. The state has announced funding for four new projects, with more to come in the weeks ahead, as it plans to distribute almost $2.8 billion.
Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED
Los Angeles Considers Turning Vacant Office Buildings Into Housing
Many Californians who work in offices haven’t been to their workplaces in nearly two years because of the pandemic. Now, with many cities like Los Angeles in the midst of a severe housing crisis, some people want to turn those vacant buildings into housing.
Reporter: David Wagner, KPCC
California Part of Pact to Take Less Water from Colorado River
California and neighboring states have agreed to take less water from the dwindling Colorado River. Roughly a quarter of the water used in areas serviced by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California comes from the Colorado River, through the country’s largest reservoir, Lake Mead.
Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report
Vaccination Gap Continues to Widen in Los Angeles County
In Los Angeles County, there’s still a wide gap in vaccination rates between Black and Latino residents – compared to whites, Asians and Native Americans. That despite aggressive vaccine outreach.
Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW
Protests Continue Over Immigrant Detention at Yuba County Jail
Protesters gathered in San Francisco Wednesday to urge the Biden administration to stop detaining immigrants at a Yuba County jail. This is the last public facility in California to keep a detention contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED
Biking Advocates Push for More Safety Measures
Interest in cycling has boomed since the beginning of the pandemic, with sales of both regular bicycles e-bikes soaring over the past two years. While many transportation planners and environmentalists are embracing the increase in biking, advocates say there are still not enough safeguards to protect them from cars.
Guest: Dave Snyder, Executive Director, California Bicycling Coalition