The California Report Magazine
Life After Life in Prison: Released Murderers Mentor Other Ex-Lifers on Parole
There are more than 2,000 former lifers on parole in California, and dozens more are being released every month. After decades in prison, the transition to freedom can be almost overwhelming. We visited an innovative program in San Francisco where former lifers mentor other parolees to help them succeed on the outside.
How California Schools Are Using Art to Boost Achievement
A lot of public school students in California get no art instruction whatsoever in school. That's partly due to budget cuts, and partly because some schools dropped the arts to focus on reading and math, trying to bring up test scores. Now, a state task force wants the arts back in California classrooms as a core subject. We visit a school that's just starting to bring art back, as well as a school that's a model for how art can be woven into every lesson.
As University Costs Rise, Some Going Hungry to Pay for College
The high cost of living -- and higher tuition -- continue to hit students hard at California's public universities. It's hitting hard enough that a large number of college students have to decide between buying food and paying the bills. And many are going hungry.
Students Break Down Language Barriers in a Sacramento Parking Lot
Heather Hutcheson is an English professor at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento. On Tuesdays and Thursdays she teaches advanced composition and creative writing. But Wednesdays are different. Class takes place five miles down the road -- and a world away -- at an unlikely place. Hutcheson leads what are called "intercambios," English and Spanish exchanges between her students and day laborers out waiting for work in the Home Depot parking lot.
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Documentary on 'The Wrecking Crew' Puts Spotlight on Rock's Unsung Hit-Makers
All through the 1960s, recording studios in Los Angeles were churning out hits that defined that era. The singers were all well-known, but the musicians who created those irresistible riffs and chords on those iconic tracks were almost unknown. Filmmaker Denny Tedesco's late father, guitarist Tommy Tedesco, was one of them. And now Denny has turned their story into a documentary.
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