window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"news_12008128": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12008128",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12008128",
"found": true
},
"title": "081616_Mark-Berman_GETTY_CM_01 copy",
"publishDate": 1728153055,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12008127,
"modified": 1728153083,
"caption": "The FDA in 2018 sued the late Dr. Mark Berman and two of his stem cell businesses seeking to regulate treatments at the clinics. Six years later, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the FDA and wrote that the therapies should be regulated by the agency. ",
"credit": "Patrick T. Fallon for The Washington Post via Getty Images",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/081616_Mark-Berman_GETTY_CM_01-copy-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/081616_Mark-Berman_GETTY_CM_01-copy-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/081616_Mark-Berman_GETTY_CM_01-copy-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/081616_Mark-Berman_GETTY_CM_01-copy-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/081616_Mark-Berman_GETTY_CM_01-copy-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/081616_Mark-Berman_GETTY_CM_01-copy-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/081616_Mark-Berman_GETTY_CM_01-copy-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/081616_Mark-Berman_GETTY_CM_01-copy.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12007587": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12007587",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12007587",
"found": true
},
"title": "100124-NVIDIA-CORPORATE-TAXES-GH-CM copy",
"publishDate": 1727907779,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12007585,
"modified": 1727907798,
"caption": null,
"credit": "Illustration by Gabriel Hongsdusit/CalMatters",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100124-NVIDIA-CORPORATE-TAXES-GH-CM-copy-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100124-NVIDIA-CORPORATE-TAXES-GH-CM-copy-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100124-NVIDIA-CORPORATE-TAXES-GH-CM-copy-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100124-NVIDIA-CORPORATE-TAXES-GH-CM-copy-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100124-NVIDIA-CORPORATE-TAXES-GH-CM-copy-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100124-NVIDIA-CORPORATE-TAXES-GH-CM-copy-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100124-NVIDIA-CORPORATE-TAXES-GH-CM-copy-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100124-NVIDIA-CORPORATE-TAXES-GH-CM-copy.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12007305": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12007305",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12007305",
"found": true
},
"title": "092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_17",
"publishDate": 1727804390,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12007297,
"modified": 1727806225,
"caption": "Students play in the shade during recess in the schoolyard of La Escuelita Elementary School in Oakland on Sept. 23, 2024.",
"credit": "Laure Andrillon/CalMatters",
"altTag": "Children sit in a schoolyard at a table under a white umbrella.",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_17-800x533.jpeg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_17-1020x680.jpeg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_17-160x107.jpeg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_17-1536x1024.jpeg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_17-672x372.jpeg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_17-1038x576.jpeg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_17-1920x1280.jpeg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_17.jpeg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12006965": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12006965",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12006965",
"found": true
},
"title": "080924_Arizona-Kamala-Rally-LV_CM_23 copy",
"publishDate": 1727479642,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12006964,
"modified": 1727479676,
"caption": "Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the crowd during her presidential campaign rally at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz., on Aug. 9, 2024. ",
"credit": "Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/080924_Arizona-Kamala-Rally-LV_CM_23-copy-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/080924_Arizona-Kamala-Rally-LV_CM_23-copy-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/080924_Arizona-Kamala-Rally-LV_CM_23-copy-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/080924_Arizona-Kamala-Rally-LV_CM_23-copy-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/080924_Arizona-Kamala-Rally-LV_CM_23-copy-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/080924_Arizona-Kamala-Rally-LV_CM_23-copy-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/080924_Arizona-Kamala-Rally-LV_CM_23-copy-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/080924_Arizona-Kamala-Rally-LV_CM_23-copy.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12006592": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12006592",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12006592",
"found": true
},
"title": "111722-Students-Whittier-LJ-CM-03",
"publishDate": 1727375644,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12006589,
"modified": 1727375704,
"caption": "Students in a classroom at Lake Marie Elementary School in Whittier on Nov. 17, 2022.",
"credit": "Lauren Justice/CalMatters",
"altTag": "Young children work on projects in an elementary school classroom.",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/111722-Students-Whittier-LJ-CM-03-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/111722-Students-Whittier-LJ-CM-03-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/111722-Students-Whittier-LJ-CM-03-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/111722-Students-Whittier-LJ-CM-03-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/111722-Students-Whittier-LJ-CM-03-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/111722-Students-Whittier-LJ-CM-03-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/111722-Students-Whittier-LJ-CM-03-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/111722-Students-Whittier-LJ-CM-03.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12006348": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12006348",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12006348",
"found": true
},
"title": "021022-Fresno-State-Students-LV-CM-0-2",
"publishDate": 1727285029,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12006322,
"modified": 1727291435,
"caption": "Students walk through the Fresno State campus in Fresno on Feb. 9, 2022.",
"credit": "Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters",
"altTag": "Young people wearing backpacks walk on a campus near a red sign that reads \"Welcome to Fresno State.\"",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021022-Fresno-State-Students-LV-CM-0-2-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021022-Fresno-State-Students-LV-CM-0-2-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021022-Fresno-State-Students-LV-CM-0-2-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021022-Fresno-State-Students-LV-CM-0-2-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021022-Fresno-State-Students-LV-CM-0-2-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021022-Fresno-State-Students-LV-CM-0-2-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021022-Fresno-State-Students-LV-CM-0-2-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021022-Fresno-State-Students-LV-CM-0-2.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12006188": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12006188",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12006188",
"found": true
},
"title": "Norte Vista High School Runners",
"publishDate": 1727205499,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12006176,
"modified": 1727208666,
"caption": "Students stretch before cross-country practice at Norte Vista High School in Riverside on Sept. 19, 2024. ",
"credit": "Carlin Stiehl/CalMatters",
"altTag": "Young people wearing red, black and gray shirts stretch outside.",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_07-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_07-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_07-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_07-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_07-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_07-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_07-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_07.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12005911": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12005911",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12005911",
"found": true
},
"title": "022523_Roeding-Highway99-Parkway-LV_CM_23",
"publishDate": 1727111871,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12005909,
"modified": 1727112020,
"caption": "Traffic traveling down Highway 99 near Parkway Drive in Fresno on Feb. 25, 2023. The newly appointed committee wants to give money to the City of Fresno for a pedestrian bridge that would cross Highway 99 and connect Parkway Drive and Roeding Park. ",
"credit": "Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local",
"altTag": "Cars drive on a highway.",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/022523_Roeding-Highway99-Parkway-LV_CM_23-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/022523_Roeding-Highway99-Parkway-LV_CM_23-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/022523_Roeding-Highway99-Parkway-LV_CM_23-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/022523_Roeding-Highway99-Parkway-LV_CM_23-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/022523_Roeding-Highway99-Parkway-LV_CM_23-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/022523_Roeding-Highway99-Parkway-LV_CM_23-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/022523_Roeding-Highway99-Parkway-LV_CM_23-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/022523_Roeding-Highway99-Parkway-LV_CM_23.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12005544": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12005544",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12005544",
"found": true
},
"title": "Daily Life In Santa Monica",
"publishDate": 1726785255,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12005515,
"modified": 1726962643,
"caption": "People are seen at Apple Store in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, on Nov. 12, 2023. ",
"credit": "Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images",
"altTag": "A large white apple logo is seen above a store as people walk in and out.",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/GettyImages-1793804047-800x534.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 534,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/GettyImages-1793804047-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/GettyImages-1793804047-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/GettyImages-1793804047-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/GettyImages-1793804047-1024x576.jpg",
"width": 1024,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/GettyImages-1793804047.jpg",
"width": 1024,
"height": 683
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12005719": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12005719",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12005719",
"found": true
},
"title": "091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_11 copy",
"publishDate": 1726867023,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12005718,
"modified": 1726874699,
"caption": "A row of students work on engine lathes during class at the Industrial Technology Building at Reedley College on Sept. 11, 2024.",
"credit": "Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_11-copy-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_11-copy-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_11-copy-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_11-copy-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_11-copy-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_11-copy-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_11-copy-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_11-copy.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12005656": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12005656",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12005656",
"found": true
},
"title": "033023-Hollister-Hospital-LV_CM_06 copy",
"publishDate": 1726855959,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12005655,
"modified": 1726855997,
"caption": "A medical worker pushing a bed through the corridors of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister on March 30, 2023. \n",
"credit": "Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/033023-Hollister-Hospital-LV_CM_06-copy-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/033023-Hollister-Hospital-LV_CM_06-copy-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/033023-Hollister-Hospital-LV_CM_06-copy-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/033023-Hollister-Hospital-LV_CM_06-copy-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/033023-Hollister-Hospital-LV_CM_06-copy-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/033023-Hollister-Hospital-LV_CM_06-copy-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/033023-Hollister-Hospital-LV_CM_06-copy-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/033023-Hollister-Hospital-LV_CM_06-copy.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12005504": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12005504",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12005504",
"found": true
},
"title": "082424_Safe-Parking_AH_12 copy",
"publishDate": 1726781690,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12005503,
"modified": 1726781726,
"caption": "Brad Butterfield pauses after checking the top of his RV for leaks in Arcata on Aug. 24, 2024. Due to the high cost of education, Butterfield lived in his vehicle on campus at the California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt until the university prohibited students from doing so in the fall of 2023. Now, Butterfield parks in the city of Arcata, which requires he move his vehicle every 72 hours or receive a ticket. ",
"credit": "Alexandra Hootnick for CalMatters",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_12-copy-800x534.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 534,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_12-copy-1020x681.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 681,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_12-copy-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_12-copy-1536x1025.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1025,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_12-copy-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_12-copy-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_12-copy-1920x1282.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1282,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_12-copy.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1335
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"byline_news_12008127": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12008127",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12008127",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/anaibarra/\">Ana B. Ibarra\u003c/a>, CalMatters",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_12007585": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12007585",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12007585",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/levi-sumagaysay/\">Levi Sumagaysay\u003c/a>, CalMatters",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_12007297": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12007297",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12007297",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/alejandra-reyesvelarde/\">Alejandra Reyes-Velarde\u003c/a>, CalMatters",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_12006964": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12006964",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12006964",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/alexei-koseff/\">Alexei Koseff\u003c/a>, CalMatters",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_12006589": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12006589",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12006589",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/carolyn-jones/\">Carolyn Jones\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_12006322": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12006322",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12006322",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/mikhailzinshteyn\">Mikhail Zinshteyn, \u003c/a>CalMatters",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_12006176": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12006176",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12006176",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/deborah-brennan\">Deborah Brennan, \u003c/a>CalMatters",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_12005909": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12005909",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12005909",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/ryan-sabalow\">Ryan Sabalow, \u003c/a>CalMatters",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_12005515": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12005515",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12005515",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/khari-johnson\">Khari Johnson, \u003c/a>CalMatters",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_12005718": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12005718",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12005718",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/adam-echelman/\">Adam Echelman\u003c/a>, CalMatters",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_12005655": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12005655",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12005655",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/carolyn-jones/\">Carolyn Jones\u003c/a>, CalMatters",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_12005503": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12005503",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12005503",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/briana-mendez-padilla/\">Briana Mendez-Padilla\u003c/a>, CalMatters",
"isLoading": false
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"news_affiliate_calmatters": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18481",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18481",
"score": 15.360804
},
"featImg": null,
"name": "CALmatters",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "affiliate",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "CALmatters Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18515,
"slug": "calmatters",
"isLoading": false,
"title": "CALmatters",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "news",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"currentPage": 22
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/news?affiliate=calmatters",
"seeMore": false,
"paginated": true,
"page": 22
}
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad"
}
]
}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"news_12008127": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12008127",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12008127",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1728162010000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "how-a-court-ruling-could-affect-california-stem-cell-clinics-that-use-unproven-therapies",
"title": "How a Court Ruling Affects California Stem Cell Clinics That Use Unproven Therapies",
"publishDate": 1728162010,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "How a Court Ruling Affects California Stem Cell Clinics That Use Unproven Therapies | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Stem cell clinics have popped up throughout California, promising cures and relief for arthritis, Alzheimer’s and other conditions through cutting-edge technologies. Some, however, are offering services that have not been approved by federal health regulators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week gained a significant court win against stem cell clinics that promote and administer unproven therapies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A three-judge panel on \u003ca href=\"https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2024/09/27/22-56014.pdf\">the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (PDF)\u003c/a> that the FDA can regulate two affiliated Southern California stem cell clinics and their treatments after a lower court had exempted them from regulation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decision, experts say, reasserts the FDA’s authority over regenerative medicine at a time when clinics advertising these types of stem cell products are booming. Unproven therapies have led to \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2021/06/harms-linked-to-unapproved-stem-cell-interventions-highlight-need-for-greater-fda-enforcement\">infections, disabilities and even death\u003c/a>, according to adverse reaction reports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The case dates to 2018, when the FDA sued the California Stem Cell Treatment Center Inc., which has clinics in Rancho Mirage and Beverly Hills, for “improperly manufacturing and labeling” an unapproved product.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The FDA sought to stop the clinics from administering a so-called therapy that takes fat tissue from a patient to create a mixture of cells known as stromal vascular fraction. This is then injected back into the patient to treat a problem area, such as the knee for osteoarthritis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In recent years, clinics offering similar stem cell mixtures have proliferated despite concerns over whether such treatments are safe and effective,” one of the 9th Circuit judges wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As stated in the appeals court ruling, the clinics advertised technology that could alleviate dozens of medical conditions, including arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and heart problems, among others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because these treatments are not covered by insurance, people seeking these products pay tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket. A 12-treatment option could cost $41,500, the decision documents show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The stem cell clinics countered that the treatment should be exempt from FDA oversight because it was more like a surgery than a new drug. \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-08-31/federal-judge-tosses-lawsuit-targeting-stem-cell-clinic\">In 2022, a federal judge ruled in favor of the clinics\u003c/a> and the FDA appealed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say this most recent ruling strengthens the FDA’s authority over stem cell therapies and will help keep patients safe. It also \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-wins-case-against-florida-stem-cell-clinic-harmed-three-n1013641\">matches the outcome of an earlier case\u003c/a> where the \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/florida-company-barred-using-experimental-stem-cell-drugs-patients\">FDA sued a Florida stem cell clinic\u003c/a> for administering a similar product and won, barring the clinic from selling such treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now there is a coherent federal legal picture that this product can be regulated by the FDA as a drug. As a result, these cells cannot legally be used on patients by stem cell clinics without working with the agency first,” Paul Knoepfler, a professor of cell biology and human anatomy at the University of California, Davis, said via email. “Hundreds of clinics had been marketing them around the U.S. without FDA permission.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An FDA spokesperson declined to comment on the ruling, saying the agency does not comment on ongoing litigation. Attorneys for the clinics did not return requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The landscape of stem cell therapies\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The FDA has issued multiple public warnings about stem cell treatments because of their popularity. In its notices, the FDA writes that \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/consumers-biologics/consumer-alert-regenerative-medicine-products-including-stem-cells-and-exosomes\">the only treatments approved for consumers\u003c/a> consist of blood-forming stem cells, which are used to fight certain cancers or blood disorders. The list of therapies ready for commercial use is short, experts say. Other types of stem cell treatments have been approved for clinical trials only.[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_12001344,news_12003006,news_12007157\"]Every drug and therapy approved in the U.S. has to first go through a rigorous and lengthy process that includes a clinical trial to prove it is both safe and effective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Please know that if you are being charged for these products or offered these products outside of a clinical trial, you are likely being deceived and offered a product illegally,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/consumers-biologics/important-patient-and-consumer-information-about-regenerative-medicine-therapies\">the FDA wrote in a warning\u003c/a> to consumers in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unapproved stem cell products are not only illegal but also dangerous. In a high profile case, three elderly women went blind after receiving an unproven fat tissue-based stem cell treatment for macular degeneration at a Florida clinic, the same one that was later sued by the FDA. \u003ca href=\"https://www.statnews.com/2017/03/15/stem-cell-patients-blind-macular-degeneration/\">According to news reports\u003c/a> from when the case was first made public, the women sought treatments because they had difficulty reading fine print. After the procedures, the women suffered detached retinas, vision loss and bleeding inside the eye.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘You see them on billboards’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the multibillion-dollar agency voters authorized in 2004 to fund stem cell research, also \u003ca href=\"https://www.cirm.ca.gov/participating-clinical-trial/\">warns on its website\u003c/a> against companies that promote “bogus therapies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The general public knows that stem cells are a very important field that continues to develop, and they believe, as we certainly do, that they’re going to be the source of therapies and cures. The problem is these companies make it sound like we’re there already, and that’s just not the case,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.cirm.ca.gov/about-cirm/cirm-leadership/\">Jonathan Thomas\u003c/a>, president of the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thomas said last week’s ruling is important because not only does it send a message to clinics that they can’t provide treatments without regulation, but it also gives a nod to researchers who are doing legitimate stem cell work and following the rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also a warning for consumers, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is difficult to track these clinics advertising unapproved cures, so it is unclear how many are operating today. “We just know that they are proliferating because you see signs for them … you see them on billboards, you see ads, you see all sorts of things,” Thomas told CalMatters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People who are considering a stem cell treatment should ask if the therapy has been approved by the FDA. Thomas said the public should be wary if a stem cell clinic says they are exempt from federal regulation. “Anytime you hear anything like that, I would say that’s a huge red flag,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "The decision, experts say, reasserts the FDA’s authority over regenerative medicine at a time when clinics advertising these types of stem cell products are booming. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1738185273,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 24,
"wordCount": 1056
},
"headData": {
"title": "How a Court Ruling Affects California Stem Cell Clinics That Use Unproven Therapies | KQED",
"description": "The decision, experts say, reasserts the FDA’s authority over regenerative medicine at a time when clinics advertising these types of stem cell products are booming. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "How a Court Ruling Affects California Stem Cell Clinics That Use Unproven Therapies",
"datePublished": "2024-10-05T14:00:10-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-01-29T13:14:33-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/anaibarra/\">Ana B. Ibarra\u003c/a>, CalMatters",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12008127/how-a-court-ruling-could-affect-california-stem-cell-clinics-that-use-unproven-therapies",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Stem cell clinics have popped up throughout California, promising cures and relief for arthritis, Alzheimer’s and other conditions through cutting-edge technologies. Some, however, are offering services that have not been approved by federal health regulators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week gained a significant court win against stem cell clinics that promote and administer unproven therapies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A three-judge panel on \u003ca href=\"https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2024/09/27/22-56014.pdf\">the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (PDF)\u003c/a> that the FDA can regulate two affiliated Southern California stem cell clinics and their treatments after a lower court had exempted them from regulation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decision, experts say, reasserts the FDA’s authority over regenerative medicine at a time when clinics advertising these types of stem cell products are booming. Unproven therapies have led to \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2021/06/harms-linked-to-unapproved-stem-cell-interventions-highlight-need-for-greater-fda-enforcement\">infections, disabilities and even death\u003c/a>, according to adverse reaction reports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The case dates to 2018, when the FDA sued the California Stem Cell Treatment Center Inc., which has clinics in Rancho Mirage and Beverly Hills, for “improperly manufacturing and labeling” an unapproved product.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The FDA sought to stop the clinics from administering a so-called therapy that takes fat tissue from a patient to create a mixture of cells known as stromal vascular fraction. This is then injected back into the patient to treat a problem area, such as the knee for osteoarthritis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In recent years, clinics offering similar stem cell mixtures have proliferated despite concerns over whether such treatments are safe and effective,” one of the 9th Circuit judges wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As stated in the appeals court ruling, the clinics advertised technology that could alleviate dozens of medical conditions, including arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and heart problems, among others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because these treatments are not covered by insurance, people seeking these products pay tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket. A 12-treatment option could cost $41,500, the decision documents show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The stem cell clinics countered that the treatment should be exempt from FDA oversight because it was more like a surgery than a new drug. \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-08-31/federal-judge-tosses-lawsuit-targeting-stem-cell-clinic\">In 2022, a federal judge ruled in favor of the clinics\u003c/a> and the FDA appealed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say this most recent ruling strengthens the FDA’s authority over stem cell therapies and will help keep patients safe. It also \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-wins-case-against-florida-stem-cell-clinic-harmed-three-n1013641\">matches the outcome of an earlier case\u003c/a> where the \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/florida-company-barred-using-experimental-stem-cell-drugs-patients\">FDA sued a Florida stem cell clinic\u003c/a> for administering a similar product and won, barring the clinic from selling such treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now there is a coherent federal legal picture that this product can be regulated by the FDA as a drug. As a result, these cells cannot legally be used on patients by stem cell clinics without working with the agency first,” Paul Knoepfler, a professor of cell biology and human anatomy at the University of California, Davis, said via email. “Hundreds of clinics had been marketing them around the U.S. without FDA permission.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An FDA spokesperson declined to comment on the ruling, saying the agency does not comment on ongoing litigation. Attorneys for the clinics did not return requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The landscape of stem cell therapies\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The FDA has issued multiple public warnings about stem cell treatments because of their popularity. In its notices, the FDA writes that \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/consumers-biologics/consumer-alert-regenerative-medicine-products-including-stem-cells-and-exosomes\">the only treatments approved for consumers\u003c/a> consist of blood-forming stem cells, which are used to fight certain cancers or blood disorders. The list of therapies ready for commercial use is short, experts say. Other types of stem cell treatments have been approved for clinical trials only.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "Related Stories ",
"postid": "news_12001344,news_12003006,news_12007157"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Every drug and therapy approved in the U.S. has to first go through a rigorous and lengthy process that includes a clinical trial to prove it is both safe and effective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Please know that if you are being charged for these products or offered these products outside of a clinical trial, you are likely being deceived and offered a product illegally,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/consumers-biologics/important-patient-and-consumer-information-about-regenerative-medicine-therapies\">the FDA wrote in a warning\u003c/a> to consumers in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unapproved stem cell products are not only illegal but also dangerous. In a high profile case, three elderly women went blind after receiving an unproven fat tissue-based stem cell treatment for macular degeneration at a Florida clinic, the same one that was later sued by the FDA. \u003ca href=\"https://www.statnews.com/2017/03/15/stem-cell-patients-blind-macular-degeneration/\">According to news reports\u003c/a> from when the case was first made public, the women sought treatments because they had difficulty reading fine print. After the procedures, the women suffered detached retinas, vision loss and bleeding inside the eye.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘You see them on billboards’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the multibillion-dollar agency voters authorized in 2004 to fund stem cell research, also \u003ca href=\"https://www.cirm.ca.gov/participating-clinical-trial/\">warns on its website\u003c/a> against companies that promote “bogus therapies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The general public knows that stem cells are a very important field that continues to develop, and they believe, as we certainly do, that they’re going to be the source of therapies and cures. The problem is these companies make it sound like we’re there already, and that’s just not the case,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.cirm.ca.gov/about-cirm/cirm-leadership/\">Jonathan Thomas\u003c/a>, president of the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thomas said last week’s ruling is important because not only does it send a message to clinics that they can’t provide treatments without regulation, but it also gives a nod to researchers who are doing legitimate stem cell work and following the rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also a warning for consumers, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is difficult to track these clinics advertising unapproved cures, so it is unclear how many are operating today. “We just know that they are proliferating because you see signs for them … you see them on billboards, you see ads, you see all sorts of things,” Thomas told CalMatters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People who are considering a stem cell treatment should ask if the therapy has been approved by the FDA. Thomas said the public should be wary if a stem cell clinic says they are exempt from federal regulation. “Anytime you hear anything like that, I would say that’s a huge red flag,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12008127/how-a-court-ruling-could-affect-california-stem-cell-clinics-that-use-unproven-therapies",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12008127"
],
"categories": [
"news_457",
"news_8",
"news_356",
"news_248"
],
"tags": [
"news_20402",
"news_18543"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_12008128",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_12007585": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12007585",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12007585",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1727978403000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "california-saw-a-huge-tax-windfall-this-summer-that-points-to-silicon-valley",
"title": "California Saw a Huge Tax Windfall This Summer That Points to Silicon Valley",
"publishDate": 1727978403,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "California Saw a Huge Tax Windfall This Summer That Points to Silicon Valley | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>No sooner had Gov. Gavin Newsom cut billions of dollars in spending to close a budget deficit in June than California received an unexpected tax windfall, one that has people in the Capitol speculating about where the avalanche of money came from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More corporate taxes than expected poured into state coffers this summer, with cash receipts exceeding forecasts by nearly $2 billion since April. An especially big surge came in July, and state officials and accounting experts think the extra receipts came from a small number of companies — most likely one or more Silicon Valley tech firms, with artificial intelligence chipmaker Nvidia a leading candidate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The influx highlights a growing tension in California between its tendency to further regulate tech companies — the governor has signed six bills governing the use of artificial intelligence so far this year — and its \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2024/01/ca-tech-tax-withholding/\">reliance on them for tax revenue\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a single day, July 16, the state received more than $800 million than expected in corporate tax payments, “by far its single biggest day of collections” for a July going back at least four decades, state deputy legislative analyst Brian Uhler told CalMatters. (He excluded 2020 because the pandemic delayed tax deadlines.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This July, the Finance Department said it collected about $1.4 billion in corporate taxes, nearly three times the agency’s forecast of $500 million. In June, corporate taxes were $263 million above forecast, and in May, $752 million over. “The July average was likely due to large payments by a small number of companies and may not necessarily be indicative of overall corporation tax revenue trends,” the department \u003ca href=\"https://dof.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/2024/08/Finance-Bulletin-August-2024.pdf\">said in its monthly bulletin (PDF)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tax records are confidential, and representatives from both the Finance Department and the Franchise Tax Board stressed that nobody at the state is allowed to discuss details or information from specific tax returns or payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the July influx in corporate tax payments was likely related to changes in state tax rules adopted in June, according to state and accounting experts who spoke with CalMatters. The tax changes, intended to help close the deficit, include a suspension of a deduction businesses can claim to offset profit, called the net operating loss deduction, as well as a $5 million limit on how much businesses can claim for research and development and other tax credits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s possible that companies expecting to have outsized profit realized they owed more in taxes and needed to make large estimated tax payments immediately after the changes were enacted, accounting experts said. Corporations that expect to owe taxes are required to make quarterly estimated tax payments and can incur penalties if the payments are late. \u003ca href=\"https://www.lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4902\">State analysts believe\u003c/a> the new taxes could disproportionately come from “businesses in riskier or more innovative industries — such as the technology, motion picture, and transportation sectors,” as they put it when the changes were proposed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, a red-hot tech company fits the bill of outsized profits and risky innovation: Nvidia, which is raking in record amounts of money because of the artificial intelligence boom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As other companies scramble to get ahead in the AI race, they are buying Nvidia’s chips and propelling the company to new heights. On Aug. 28, Nvidia reported second-quarter net income of $16.6 billion, which was more than double its profit from the same period last year — and about the same amount spent by \u003ca href=\"https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/11/total-cost-of-2022-state-and-federal-elections-projected-to-exceed-16-7-billion/\">all state and federal campaigns\u003c/a> in the last election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nvidia’s annual financial report from 2023 shows that it had $1.5 billion in unused California tax credits for research and development. Between the cap on that tax credit and the suspension of the loss deduction the company could have claimed against its rising profit, Nvidia probably realized it would have a larger tax bill, accounting experts told CalMatters. That’s why it may have been the company or one of the companies that made the sizable estimated tax payment to the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nvidia’s most recent quarterly filing provides additional clues: The company paid a total of $7.21 billion in income taxes in the second quarter, a whopping 31-fold increase from the $227 million it paid in taxes in the same period last year. For the first six months of its 2024 fiscal year, Nvidia paid $7.45 billion in income taxes, compared with $328 million in the first half of 2023. Those totals included federal and state taxes. California has a flat corporate tax rate of 8.84% of a company’s net income, while the federal tax rate is a flat 21%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If Nvidia was largely responsible for the July tax windfall, due to an estimated tax payment, the company likely expects a lot of taxable income this year, said Francine McKenna, an independent financial journalist who writes the Dig newsletter and has taught financial accounting at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton business school. McKenna said if that’s the case, and because there’s a limit on how much the company can claim in terms of other tax credits, Nvidia will likely make another sizable estimated tax payment in the third quarter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An Nvidia spokesperson would not comment. Neither would a spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’d expect payments from other companies as well, potentially,” said Brett Whitaker, a former tax executive at Ernst & Young, Nike and Mattel who now teaches corporate tax accounting at Indiana University. “They depend on these credits often to avoid paying tax, so suspending them could drive tax for many.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whitaker said most companies try to take advantage of R&D tax credits: “Big Four (accounting) firms have entire teams dedicated solely to this effort.” But he added that the credits are especially commonly used by tech companies and others whose businesses rely on innovation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s hard to tell exactly when those other estimated tax payments will come and how significant they will be, Finance Department spokesperson H.D. Palmer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Estimated tax payments are due in April, June, September and January, but those payments are not always made on time so can come in at any time, according to the Franchise Tax Board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A CalMatters examination of Silicon Valley’s biggest tech companies’ financial filings with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission suggests that some of them may also be affected by the tax changes. That means the companies could make estimated tax payments that could be similar in size to the ones the state received in July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apple, Google parent Alphabet and Facebook parent Meta are among the companies whose financial filings show they have past losses, which they could normally deduct, and/or unused research and development tax credits in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of last Dec. 31, Alphabet had $18.6 billion in old losses in California. The tech giant also had $6.3 billion in research and development credits.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>As of the same date, Meta had $2.78 billion in past losses in the state, as well as $4.08 billion in unspecified state tax credits from prior periods. And as of Sept. 30, 2023, Apple had $3 billion in research and development credits. All these companies are highly profitable, and whatever deductions and credits they were expecting to use are now either on hold or limited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240sb167?slug=CA_202320240SB167\">the analysis of the budget bill that included the tax changes\u003c/a>, California’s deduction suspension and tax-credit limits could increase state revenue by $5.95 billion this fiscal year, $5.5 billion the following fiscal year and $3.4 billion the year after that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11972309,news_11992607,forum_2010101906396\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tax changes split state lawmakers mostly along party lines when the governor proposed them in his budget earlier this year. Democrats characterized the changes as necessary, while Republicans decried them as a burden on businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener from San Francisco, a supporter of the changes, said in an emailed statement to CalMatters: “It is important not to read too much into any single month revenue numbers, but we believe that tough decisions we made this year will strengthen the state’s fiscal health going forward while protecting our core programs and benefiting the overall economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sen. Roger Niello, a Republican from Roseville, an opponent of the changes and a former accountant, told CalMatters he checked with his fiscal staff as well as the Legislative Analyst’s Office about the bigger-than-expected corporate tax payments in July. “It’s reasonable to consider that it’s because of tax changes, but they really don’t know,” he said.”It does appear to be from large deposits from a few companies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Niello said the state has disallowed the deduction for operating losses in nearly half of the years between 2008 and 2027, citing a finding by the Legislative Analyst’s Office in \u003ca href=\"https://www.lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4902\">a May report\u003c/a>. The deductions are supposed to help make taxes roughly even for businesses with similar total profits over the course of multiple years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suspending that deduction “appears to be a go-to measure by the state for accounting for revenue shortfalls,” Niello said. “It’s something that businesses cannot rely on now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the tax changes, California tech firms have navigated various legislative fights and new regulations this year. The biggest battle was over a bill to force them to test powerful artificial intelligence models for their potential to enable cyberattacks, the creation of weapons of mass destruction, and other threats to infrastructure. Several big tech companies opposed the legislation, saying it would hinder innovation, while prominent whistleblowers said it would help mitigate the reckless pursuit of tech profits. The measure, from Wiener, cleared the Legislature \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2024/09/california-artificial-intelligence-bill-veto/\">only to be vetoed\u003c/a> by Gov. Gavin Newsom this past weekend. The \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/new-california-laws-2024/\">governor also signed into law bills\u003c/a> that would \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/elections/2024/02/ai-elections-bill-package/\">protect voters from deepfakes\u003c/a> and allow victims of doxxing to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/capitol/2024/06/doxxing-bill-california/\">sue their attackers in civil court\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "California was nearly $2 billion over forecast in corporate tax receipts this summer. A tax change meant to help the budget deficit helped drive the surge.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1740178960,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 31,
"wordCount": 1716
},
"headData": {
"title": "California Saw a Huge Tax Windfall This Summer That Points to Silicon Valley | KQED",
"description": "California was nearly $2 billion over forecast in corporate tax receipts this summer. A tax change meant to help the budget deficit helped drive the surge.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "California Saw a Huge Tax Windfall This Summer That Points to Silicon Valley",
"datePublished": "2024-10-03T11:00:03-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-02-21T15:02:40-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/levi-sumagaysay/\">Levi Sumagaysay\u003c/a>, CalMatters",
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12007585",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12007585/california-saw-a-huge-tax-windfall-this-summer-that-points-to-silicon-valley",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>No sooner had Gov. Gavin Newsom cut billions of dollars in spending to close a budget deficit in June than California received an unexpected tax windfall, one that has people in the Capitol speculating about where the avalanche of money came from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More corporate taxes than expected poured into state coffers this summer, with cash receipts exceeding forecasts by nearly $2 billion since April. An especially big surge came in July, and state officials and accounting experts think the extra receipts came from a small number of companies — most likely one or more Silicon Valley tech firms, with artificial intelligence chipmaker Nvidia a leading candidate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The influx highlights a growing tension in California between its tendency to further regulate tech companies — the governor has signed six bills governing the use of artificial intelligence so far this year — and its \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2024/01/ca-tech-tax-withholding/\">reliance on them for tax revenue\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a single day, July 16, the state received more than $800 million than expected in corporate tax payments, “by far its single biggest day of collections” for a July going back at least four decades, state deputy legislative analyst Brian Uhler told CalMatters. (He excluded 2020 because the pandemic delayed tax deadlines.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This July, the Finance Department said it collected about $1.4 billion in corporate taxes, nearly three times the agency’s forecast of $500 million. In June, corporate taxes were $263 million above forecast, and in May, $752 million over. “The July average was likely due to large payments by a small number of companies and may not necessarily be indicative of overall corporation tax revenue trends,” the department \u003ca href=\"https://dof.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/2024/08/Finance-Bulletin-August-2024.pdf\">said in its monthly bulletin (PDF)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tax records are confidential, and representatives from both the Finance Department and the Franchise Tax Board stressed that nobody at the state is allowed to discuss details or information from specific tax returns or payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the July influx in corporate tax payments was likely related to changes in state tax rules adopted in June, according to state and accounting experts who spoke with CalMatters. The tax changes, intended to help close the deficit, include a suspension of a deduction businesses can claim to offset profit, called the net operating loss deduction, as well as a $5 million limit on how much businesses can claim for research and development and other tax credits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s possible that companies expecting to have outsized profit realized they owed more in taxes and needed to make large estimated tax payments immediately after the changes were enacted, accounting experts said. Corporations that expect to owe taxes are required to make quarterly estimated tax payments and can incur penalties if the payments are late. \u003ca href=\"https://www.lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4902\">State analysts believe\u003c/a> the new taxes could disproportionately come from “businesses in riskier or more innovative industries — such as the technology, motion picture, and transportation sectors,” as they put it when the changes were proposed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, a red-hot tech company fits the bill of outsized profits and risky innovation: Nvidia, which is raking in record amounts of money because of the artificial intelligence boom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As other companies scramble to get ahead in the AI race, they are buying Nvidia’s chips and propelling the company to new heights. On Aug. 28, Nvidia reported second-quarter net income of $16.6 billion, which was more than double its profit from the same period last year — and about the same amount spent by \u003ca href=\"https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/11/total-cost-of-2022-state-and-federal-elections-projected-to-exceed-16-7-billion/\">all state and federal campaigns\u003c/a> in the last election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nvidia’s annual financial report from 2023 shows that it had $1.5 billion in unused California tax credits for research and development. Between the cap on that tax credit and the suspension of the loss deduction the company could have claimed against its rising profit, Nvidia probably realized it would have a larger tax bill, accounting experts told CalMatters. That’s why it may have been the company or one of the companies that made the sizable estimated tax payment to the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nvidia’s most recent quarterly filing provides additional clues: The company paid a total of $7.21 billion in income taxes in the second quarter, a whopping 31-fold increase from the $227 million it paid in taxes in the same period last year. For the first six months of its 2024 fiscal year, Nvidia paid $7.45 billion in income taxes, compared with $328 million in the first half of 2023. Those totals included federal and state taxes. California has a flat corporate tax rate of 8.84% of a company’s net income, while the federal tax rate is a flat 21%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If Nvidia was largely responsible for the July tax windfall, due to an estimated tax payment, the company likely expects a lot of taxable income this year, said Francine McKenna, an independent financial journalist who writes the Dig newsletter and has taught financial accounting at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton business school. McKenna said if that’s the case, and because there’s a limit on how much the company can claim in terms of other tax credits, Nvidia will likely make another sizable estimated tax payment in the third quarter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An Nvidia spokesperson would not comment. Neither would a spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’d expect payments from other companies as well, potentially,” said Brett Whitaker, a former tax executive at Ernst & Young, Nike and Mattel who now teaches corporate tax accounting at Indiana University. “They depend on these credits often to avoid paying tax, so suspending them could drive tax for many.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whitaker said most companies try to take advantage of R&D tax credits: “Big Four (accounting) firms have entire teams dedicated solely to this effort.” But he added that the credits are especially commonly used by tech companies and others whose businesses rely on innovation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s hard to tell exactly when those other estimated tax payments will come and how significant they will be, Finance Department spokesperson H.D. Palmer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Estimated tax payments are due in April, June, September and January, but those payments are not always made on time so can come in at any time, according to the Franchise Tax Board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A CalMatters examination of Silicon Valley’s biggest tech companies’ financial filings with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission suggests that some of them may also be affected by the tax changes. That means the companies could make estimated tax payments that could be similar in size to the ones the state received in July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apple, Google parent Alphabet and Facebook parent Meta are among the companies whose financial filings show they have past losses, which they could normally deduct, and/or unused research and development tax credits in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of last Dec. 31, Alphabet had $18.6 billion in old losses in California. The tech giant also had $6.3 billion in research and development credits.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>As of the same date, Meta had $2.78 billion in past losses in the state, as well as $4.08 billion in unspecified state tax credits from prior periods. And as of Sept. 30, 2023, Apple had $3 billion in research and development credits. All these companies are highly profitable, and whatever deductions and credits they were expecting to use are now either on hold or limited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240sb167?slug=CA_202320240SB167\">the analysis of the budget bill that included the tax changes\u003c/a>, California’s deduction suspension and tax-credit limits could increase state revenue by $5.95 billion this fiscal year, $5.5 billion the following fiscal year and $3.4 billion the year after that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "Related Stories ",
"postid": "news_11972309,news_11992607,forum_2010101906396"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tax changes split state lawmakers mostly along party lines when the governor proposed them in his budget earlier this year. Democrats characterized the changes as necessary, while Republicans decried them as a burden on businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener from San Francisco, a supporter of the changes, said in an emailed statement to CalMatters: “It is important not to read too much into any single month revenue numbers, but we believe that tough decisions we made this year will strengthen the state’s fiscal health going forward while protecting our core programs and benefiting the overall economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sen. Roger Niello, a Republican from Roseville, an opponent of the changes and a former accountant, told CalMatters he checked with his fiscal staff as well as the Legislative Analyst’s Office about the bigger-than-expected corporate tax payments in July. “It’s reasonable to consider that it’s because of tax changes, but they really don’t know,” he said.”It does appear to be from large deposits from a few companies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Niello said the state has disallowed the deduction for operating losses in nearly half of the years between 2008 and 2027, citing a finding by the Legislative Analyst’s Office in \u003ca href=\"https://www.lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4902\">a May report\u003c/a>. The deductions are supposed to help make taxes roughly even for businesses with similar total profits over the course of multiple years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suspending that deduction “appears to be a go-to measure by the state for accounting for revenue shortfalls,” Niello said. “It’s something that businesses cannot rely on now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the tax changes, California tech firms have navigated various legislative fights and new regulations this year. The biggest battle was over a bill to force them to test powerful artificial intelligence models for their potential to enable cyberattacks, the creation of weapons of mass destruction, and other threats to infrastructure. Several big tech companies opposed the legislation, saying it would hinder innovation, while prominent whistleblowers said it would help mitigate the reckless pursuit of tech profits. The measure, from Wiener, cleared the Legislature \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2024/09/california-artificial-intelligence-bill-veto/\">only to be vetoed\u003c/a> by Gov. Gavin Newsom this past weekend. The \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/new-california-laws-2024/\">governor also signed into law bills\u003c/a> that would \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/elections/2024/02/ai-elections-bill-package/\">protect voters from deepfakes\u003c/a> and allow victims of doxxing to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/capitol/2024/06/doxxing-bill-california/\">sue their attackers in civil court\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12007585/california-saw-a-huge-tax-windfall-this-summer-that-points-to-silicon-valley",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12007585"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_1758",
"news_8",
"news_248"
],
"tags": [
"news_402",
"news_3651",
"news_34586",
"news_423",
"news_1631"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_12007587",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_12007297": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12007297",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12007297",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1727809237000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "a-hot-mess-as-heat-rises-california-kids-are-sweltering-in-schools-without-air-conditioning",
"title": "'A Hot Mess': As Heat Rises, California Kids Are Sweltering in Schools Without Air Conditioning",
"publishDate": 1727809237,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "‘A Hot Mess’: As Heat Rises, California Kids Are Sweltering in Schools Without Air Conditioning | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>In her fifth grade class in a Los Angeles school, on a day when outdoor temperatures reached 116 degrees, the heat gave Lilian Chin\u003cem> \u003c/em>a headache. The air conditioner in her classroom was broken. Her fingers felt numb, and she vomited in class, according to her mother. The nurse wasn’t available, so she was sent back to her hot classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time the school day was over and Lilian made it to her mother’s air-conditioned car, she was exhausted and red-faced. At home, she vomited again and got a leg cramp. Veronica Chin rushed her 11-year-old daughter to an emergency room, where she was diagnosed with heat exhaustion — a serious condition that leads to a life-threatening heat stroke if not treated promptly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Chin called the school, Haskell Elementary STEAM Magnet, to complain about the broken air conditioning, she received an email that a repair ticket had been created. The San Fernando Valley school, in the Los Angeles Unified School District, had marked the repair a “low priority.” (School officials did not respond to CalMatters’ questions when a reporter called and visited the campus.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chin was furious. “I’m trusting them with my children,” she said. “I’m thinking that my children are in a safe space when they’re not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/climate-change/2024/09/california-extreme-heat-population-growth-inland-communities/\">As climate change intensifies heat waves\u003c/a>, California schools are unprepared to protect their students from extreme heat. Some schools don’t have air conditioning at all because they were built before hotter climates made it a necessity. Others have old systems pushed to their limits, with school districts struggling to keep up with repairs or replacements with limited staff and funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For instance, in Long Beach — which reached a \u003ca href=\"https://lbpost.com/news/record-heat-long-beach-temperature-109-heat-wave/\">record high of 109 \u003c/a>degrees last month — all or most buildings in 13 public schools with about 14,000 students have no air conditioning systems. In Oakland, as many as 2,000 classrooms don’t have them. And in Fresno, officials have been overwhelmed with more than 5,000 calls for air conditioning repairs in the past 12 months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between 15% and 20% of California’s kindergarten through 12th-grade public schools “have \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/635dbc6808cab54e82a25127/t/640f57089a49a966b5803dcb/1678726934033/Climate-Resilient+California+Schools\">no functioning heating and air conditioning systems at all\u003c/a>, and as many as another 10% of schools need major repair or replacement for their systems to function adequately,” UC Berkeley and Stanford University researchers wrote in a report last year. Some advocates say that is likely an underestimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School officials say they would need tens of billions of dollars to install and repair air conditioning. Many of the worst problems are in hot, inland school districts that serve low-income communities of color, where there are fewer financial resources to replace or repair them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If it’s too hot, just like if you’re too hungry, it’s almost impossible to learn, so the impact on students and teachers is great,” said Paul Idsvoog, the Fresno Unified School District’s chief operations officer. “If you have multiple systems that are 20 years old, sooner or later, you’re not going to be able to keep up with the tide.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Voters in November will be asked to approve a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/2024/06/school-bond-california/\">$10 billion school infrastructure bond\u003c/a> to fund repairs and upgrades of buildings at K–12 schools and community colleges, including air conditioning systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom last month vetoed \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240sb1182\">a bill that would have created a master plan\u003c/a> for climate-resilient schools, including an assessment of when air conditioning systems were last modernized. State officials currently do not collect data on air conditioning in schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12007309\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1568px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_24.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12007309\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_24.jpeg\" alt=\"A portable air conditioner in a classroom.\" width=\"1568\" height=\"1045\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_24.jpeg 1568w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_24-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_24-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_24-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_24-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1568px) 100vw, 1568px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A portable air conditioning unit is used in the library of the Melrose Leadership Academy in Oakland on a hot day in late September. \u003ccite>(Laure Andrillon/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nationally, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-20-494\">41% of school districts\u003c/a> need to update or replace their heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems in at least half of their schools, according to a federal study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, the problems are common statewide, jeopardizing children and teachers in inland as well as coastal communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just a hot mess,” said Aaron Kahlenberg, a teacher at Los Angeles Unified’s John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills\u003cem>.\u003c/em> “When it was cool out, it worked, and when it got hot, it didn’t work. It got to be very frustrating.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-absences-rise-and-learning-drops-on-hot-days\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Absences rise and learning drops on hot days\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Hot classrooms lead to more student and teacher \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2024/07/extreme-heat-report-insurance/\">illnesses \u003c/a>and absences, and studies show that they reduce children’s ability to learn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a recent day in Oakland, when outdoor temperatures reached 88 degrees, 8th-grader Juliette Sanchez felt sticky and hot in a stuffy room at Melrose Leadership Academy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For me, it’s a lot harder to focus on what I’m doing,” Sanchez said. “Like, right now, I’m sticking to the table. It’s uncomfortable to write. My arm is sticky, and I’m just hot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12007306\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_18.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12007306\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_18.jpeg\" alt=\"A young girl with sunglasses on her forehead sits in a classroom behind a tower of small colored blocks.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_18.jpeg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_18-800x1000.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_18-1020x1275.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_18-160x200.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_18-1229x1536.jpeg 1229w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Juliette Sanchez, 13, an eighth grader, said the heat is sometimes unbearable at the Melrose Leadership Academy in Oakland. She is a member of an environmental club that advocated for more efficient heat and air conditioning systems at her school. \u003ccite>(Laure Andrillon/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Student performance on exams declines by up to 14% on hot days, according to a 2018 \u003ca href=\"https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/jisungpark/files/paper_nyc_aejep.pdf\">Harvard study\u003c/a> in New York City. According to another study, an increase in the average temperature of 1 degree leads to \u003ca href=\"https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/pol.20180612\">1% less learning\u003c/a>, measured by changes in test scores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Black and brown students, the learning losses are even greater, said V. Kelly Turner, a heat expert at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs who has researched hot schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re already perhaps in schools that don’t have enough teachers or enough supplies and then put on top of that, they’re going to hot homes,” she said. “Maybe they don’t have any rights to install air conditioning systems. Maybe they live in mobile homes and have even fewer rights.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A state program, \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/california-schools-healthy-air-plumbing-and-efficiency-program\">called CalSHAPE\u003c/a>, helps public schools improve air conditioning and water systems. Between 2021 and 2023, more than 3,800 schools were \u003ca href=\"https://efiling.energy.ca.gov/GetDocument.aspx?tn=254791&DocumentContentId=90470\">awarded\u003c/a> $421 million to assess their systems, with 11 undertaking major repairs or replacements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, in August, state legislators considered eliminating the program \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2024/08/california-electric-bill-legislation/\">as part of a plan to give utility ratepayers small rebates\u003c/a>. Although the bill failed, the program has been closed to new applications since July. More than a dozen school districts have \u003ca href=\"https://efiling.energy.ca.gov/Lists/DocketLog.aspx?docketnumber=20-RENEW-01\">urged the state Energy Commission\u003c/a> to reopen applications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The attempt to gut the program worries school and environmental advocates, who say the state is failing to prioritize schools as climate change raises temperatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For many schools, cooling is no longer just a nicety, but a necessity,” Jonathan Klein, head of UndauntedK12, an organization that supports schools transitioning to zero emissions to reduce greenhouse gasses, said in a statement. “Students and staff deserve safe, healthy, resilient school campuses that support teaching and learning amidst extreme weather.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-fixing-air-conditioners-9-billion-in-la-schools-alone\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Fixing air conditioners: $9 billion in LA schools alone\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Most students return to school in mid-August or early September, when much of the state — particularly in the Los Angeles region — suffers its most intense heat waves. Some schools also operate year-round.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, classroom temperatures reached into the mid-90s during an early September heat wave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teachers at several schools there told CalMatters that their requests for air conditioning repairs went unanswered or were slow to come. Portable units installed in classrooms were insufficient to keep temperatures comfortable enough for students to learn. Students were visibly lethargic from the heat. Some parents opted to keep their children home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kahlenberg, who teaches high school architecture, said he had asked for the air conditioning in his classroom to be repaired for weeks. By the time a heat wave hit in early September, it still wasn’t fixed. His classroom temperature reached 95 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everybody was tired,” Kahlenberg said. “I told them if they needed to take a break, that if they didn’t want to work, it was totally acceptable. I would just extend the project. But it just shouldn’t have to be like that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kahlenberg said teachers told him about 20 other classrooms at his school also didn’t have working air conditioning during that heat wave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12007308\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1568px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_20.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12007308\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_20.jpeg\" alt=\"Students sit in the shade on a soccer field in a schoolyard, next to basketball courts.\" width=\"1568\" height=\"1045\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_20.jpeg 1568w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_20-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_20-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_20-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_20-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1568px) 100vw, 1568px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students sit in the shade in the schoolyard of the Melrose Leadership Academy in Oakland on Sept. 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Laure Andrillon/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A physical education teacher in another Los Angeles school said she spent weeks before the September heat wave trying to flag air conditioning problems in her office. (The teacher wished to remain anonymous out of fear she would be disciplined for discussing the issue with CalMatters.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, when the extreme heat came and the gymnasium temperature was too hot for the students, she and others informed the school. She said the school responded on the last day of the heat wave that students could sit outside in shade if they needed to. The suggestion dumbfounded her: Why would she have her students sit outside, where it was even hotter than in the gym?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All schools in Los Angeles Unified have air conditioners. But Krisztina Tokes, the district’s chief facilities executive\u003cem>, \u003c/em>said 50,000 faulty or aged units and pieces of equipment need to be replaced in the district’s more than 1,000 schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LA Unified, the largest school district in the state, has invested $1 billion to upgrade heating, ventilation and cooling systems in the last two decades, including $287 million for 20 projects that are currently under construction or being designed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tokes said officials work to keep students safe by following protocols when air conditioning breaks down, such as installing portable units or moving students to spare air-conditioned spaces. Outside, schools place portable misting fans and commercial-grade pop-up tents for shade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School days were cut short in schools where district officials felt they couldn’t provide a safe learning environment. Air conditioning systems are also checked at the start of summer and again just before classes start. Teachers and staff are trained to identify and respond to signs of heat related illness, a district spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Under no circumstance should there be a child or parent thinking their health isn’t being addressed,” Tokes said. “There were conditions that were beyond the district’s control.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Replacing all air conditioners in the district’s schools would cost at least $9 billion, according to Amanda Wherritt, Los Angeles Unified’s deputy chief of staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really about financial resources,” Tokes said. “We do not receive enough money from the state to either repair or replace our systems.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-even-coastal-schools-are-sweltering-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Even coastal schools are sweltering \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While many classrooms throughout the state have air conditioning, those that don’t are often in coastal areas. Many of these schools were built in the 1950s or ’60s before the warming effects of climate change had worsened heat waves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Long Beach, less than a decade ago, 51 out of 84 schools didn’t have air conditioning in all classrooms. Since then, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.presstelegram.com/2016/10/22/long-beach-election-2016-school-district-asking-for-15-billion-bond/\">$1.5 billion local facilities bond \u003c/a>has helped the school district upgrade many of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But 13 schools, serving about a quarter of the district’s students, still \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/thirteen-long-beach-schools-braving-socal-heatwave-without-air-conditioning/3503162/\">won’t be fully air-conditioned \u003c/a>for at least another three years. One school, Polytechnic High School, which has about 4,000 students, will undergo major renovations, including adding air conditioning, that won’t be complete until 2028, said Alan Reising, Long Beach Unified School District’s facilities and operations assistant superintendent. In the meantime, officials installed portable air conditioners and outdoor shade structures in many of the schools, Reising said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some inland Long Beach neighborhoods experience five high-heat days a year when temperatures exceed 97 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Arguably, we haven’t needed it,” Reising said. But now, he said, “with the obvious signs of climate change, we have more hot days we have to deal with every year. There’s no thought that it’s going to get better in the future, so the need for air conditioning now has become very obvious.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://calmatters-graphics-heat-housing.netlify.app/heat-days-lookup?initialWidth=780&childId=pym_0&parentTitle=As%20heat%20rises%2C%20kids%20are%20sweltering%20in%20CA%20schools%20with%20no%20AC%20-%20CalMatters&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fcalmatters.org%2Fenvironment%2Fclimate-change%2F2024%2F10%2Fcalifornia-schools-air-conditioning-heatwave-climate%2F\" width=\"1000\" height=\"780\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the San Diego Unified School District, all 175 schools now have air conditioning. The district spent $460 million between 2013 and 2019 to install systems in the 118 schools that didn’t have them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While many of the systems are newer as a result, they’re still \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/hoover-high-school-hot-classroom-air-conditioning/3598054/\">breaking down, \u003c/a>with students saying some classrooms reached around 100 degrees in September. Some San Diego neighborhoods have four high-heat days a year that exceed 91 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were definitely experiencing some air conditioning issues throughout the district. We are doing our best to respond to all repair requests as quickly as possible,” said Samer Naji, a district spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Oakland Unified School District, about 2,000 classrooms in 77 schools have no air conditioners. In late September, outdoor temperatures reached 88 degrees; some Oakland neighborhoods have seven days a year that exceed 89 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Equipping those schools with air conditioning would be an expensive and complicated task that would cost at least $400 million, said Preston Thomas, Oakland Unified School District’s chief systems and services officer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Melrose Learning Academy in Oakland, students said the heat makes it hard to focus. Lyra Modersbach, an eighth grader who is a member of an environmental club at the school, said she has noticed temperatures getting hotter year after year. When she’s home, she can wear cool clothes and rest to beat the heat, but she can’t do that at school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Modersbach said her school has a few portable air conditioners, but if too many are on at once, they shut off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The heat “is very distracting,” she said. “I’ve noticed having a harder time getting my work done or feeling frustrated.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As members of the Youth Versus Apocalypse environmental club, Modersbach and Juliette Sanchez\u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/10/school-heat-pump-climate-emissions\"> advocated for their school to stop using a gas boiler\u003c/a> and invest in an energy-efficient heat pump that will provide air conditioning. The district will use funds from a 2020 $735 million bond measure to \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2023/12/08/oakland-middle-school-students-win-heat-pump-climate-activism/\">install heat pumps\u003c/a> at their school next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-inland-schools-have-little-money-to-invest\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inland schools have little money to invest\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While many inland schools are fully air-conditioned, some don’t have air conditioning in their gymnasiums, cafeterias and multi-purpose rooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many inland school districts, where 100-degree days are common, have far fewer financial resources than wealthier coastal districts, said Sara Hinkley, California program manager for UC Berkeley’s Center for Cities + Schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most of the spending on facility upgrades is based on local bond measures, which is based on your ability to levy property taxes,” she said. “So districts that have lower levels of property values per student are able to raise less money to upgrade their facilities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School districts in the Central Valley and the Inland Empire are among those that have invested less money because of lower property values and a smaller voter base to tap into, Hinkley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s no environmental justice or climate equity imperative. That would take an active regulation to change how bond disbursements are made in the state,” UCLA’s Turner said. “The state could go a long way by investing in better technical assistance to communities to apply for these funds and focusing on priority schools.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fresno Unified School District, where 90% of students are on free or reduced lunch plans, recently invested $60 million in federal funds to replace or install air conditioning systems in some of its gyms, cafeterias and multi-purpose rooms, said Alex Belanger, chief executive over the district’s operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the district needs about $500 million to improve its heating and ventilation systems, Belanger said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Belanger said during heat waves, it’s\u003ca href=\"https://abc30.com/heat-wave-central-california-fresno-unified-ac-down-courthouse/12204755/\"> “all hands on deck” \u003c/a>to keep students cool. Staff work weekends and nights to repair air conditioning systems and the school provides temporary chillers and portable air conditioning if systems break down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Idsvoog said the Fresno school district would like to invest in energy-efficient strategies such as building well-insulated schools with green space and oriented in a way that won’t absorb heat. But there’s simply no money to do so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reality is it’s not going to get any cooler and resources will always be a challenge for any school district,” Idsvoog said. “Any assistance, grants or state funding that can support those efforts is more than welcome.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Underfunded schools are struggling to keep classrooms cool amid more frequent heat waves. An estimated 1 in 5 schools has no air conditioning and another 10% need repair.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1728596965,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": true,
"iframeSrcs": [
"https://calmatters-graphics-heat-housing.netlify.app/heat-days-lookup"
],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 66,
"wordCount": 2900
},
"headData": {
"title": "'A Hot Mess': As Heat Rises, California Kids Are Sweltering in Schools Without Air Conditioning | KQED",
"description": "Underfunded schools are struggling to keep classrooms cool amid more frequent heat waves. An estimated 1 in 5 schools has no air conditioning and another 10% need repair.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "'A Hot Mess': As Heat Rises, California Kids Are Sweltering in Schools Without Air Conditioning",
"datePublished": "2024-10-01T12:00:37-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-10-10T14:49:25-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/alejandra-reyesvelarde/\">Alejandra Reyes-Velarde\u003c/a>, CalMatters",
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12007297",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12007297/a-hot-mess-as-heat-rises-california-kids-are-sweltering-in-schools-without-air-conditioning",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In her fifth grade class in a Los Angeles school, on a day when outdoor temperatures reached 116 degrees, the heat gave Lilian Chin\u003cem> \u003c/em>a headache. The air conditioner in her classroom was broken. Her fingers felt numb, and she vomited in class, according to her mother. The nurse wasn’t available, so she was sent back to her hot classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time the school day was over and Lilian made it to her mother’s air-conditioned car, she was exhausted and red-faced. At home, she vomited again and got a leg cramp. Veronica Chin rushed her 11-year-old daughter to an emergency room, where she was diagnosed with heat exhaustion — a serious condition that leads to a life-threatening heat stroke if not treated promptly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Chin called the school, Haskell Elementary STEAM Magnet, to complain about the broken air conditioning, she received an email that a repair ticket had been created. The San Fernando Valley school, in the Los Angeles Unified School District, had marked the repair a “low priority.” (School officials did not respond to CalMatters’ questions when a reporter called and visited the campus.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chin was furious. “I’m trusting them with my children,” she said. “I’m thinking that my children are in a safe space when they’re not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/climate-change/2024/09/california-extreme-heat-population-growth-inland-communities/\">As climate change intensifies heat waves\u003c/a>, California schools are unprepared to protect their students from extreme heat. Some schools don’t have air conditioning at all because they were built before hotter climates made it a necessity. Others have old systems pushed to their limits, with school districts struggling to keep up with repairs or replacements with limited staff and funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For instance, in Long Beach — which reached a \u003ca href=\"https://lbpost.com/news/record-heat-long-beach-temperature-109-heat-wave/\">record high of 109 \u003c/a>degrees last month — all or most buildings in 13 public schools with about 14,000 students have no air conditioning systems. In Oakland, as many as 2,000 classrooms don’t have them. And in Fresno, officials have been overwhelmed with more than 5,000 calls for air conditioning repairs in the past 12 months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between 15% and 20% of California’s kindergarten through 12th-grade public schools “have \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/635dbc6808cab54e82a25127/t/640f57089a49a966b5803dcb/1678726934033/Climate-Resilient+California+Schools\">no functioning heating and air conditioning systems at all\u003c/a>, and as many as another 10% of schools need major repair or replacement for their systems to function adequately,” UC Berkeley and Stanford University researchers wrote in a report last year. Some advocates say that is likely an underestimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School officials say they would need tens of billions of dollars to install and repair air conditioning. Many of the worst problems are in hot, inland school districts that serve low-income communities of color, where there are fewer financial resources to replace or repair them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If it’s too hot, just like if you’re too hungry, it’s almost impossible to learn, so the impact on students and teachers is great,” said Paul Idsvoog, the Fresno Unified School District’s chief operations officer. “If you have multiple systems that are 20 years old, sooner or later, you’re not going to be able to keep up with the tide.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Voters in November will be asked to approve a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/2024/06/school-bond-california/\">$10 billion school infrastructure bond\u003c/a> to fund repairs and upgrades of buildings at K–12 schools and community colleges, including air conditioning systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom last month vetoed \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240sb1182\">a bill that would have created a master plan\u003c/a> for climate-resilient schools, including an assessment of when air conditioning systems were last modernized. State officials currently do not collect data on air conditioning in schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12007309\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1568px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_24.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12007309\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_24.jpeg\" alt=\"A portable air conditioner in a classroom.\" width=\"1568\" height=\"1045\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_24.jpeg 1568w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_24-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_24-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_24-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_24-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1568px) 100vw, 1568px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A portable air conditioning unit is used in the library of the Melrose Leadership Academy in Oakland on a hot day in late September. \u003ccite>(Laure Andrillon/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nationally, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-20-494\">41% of school districts\u003c/a> need to update or replace their heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems in at least half of their schools, according to a federal study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, the problems are common statewide, jeopardizing children and teachers in inland as well as coastal communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just a hot mess,” said Aaron Kahlenberg, a teacher at Los Angeles Unified’s John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills\u003cem>.\u003c/em> “When it was cool out, it worked, and when it got hot, it didn’t work. It got to be very frustrating.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-absences-rise-and-learning-drops-on-hot-days\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Absences rise and learning drops on hot days\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Hot classrooms lead to more student and teacher \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2024/07/extreme-heat-report-insurance/\">illnesses \u003c/a>and absences, and studies show that they reduce children’s ability to learn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a recent day in Oakland, when outdoor temperatures reached 88 degrees, 8th-grader Juliette Sanchez felt sticky and hot in a stuffy room at Melrose Leadership Academy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For me, it’s a lot harder to focus on what I’m doing,” Sanchez said. “Like, right now, I’m sticking to the table. It’s uncomfortable to write. My arm is sticky, and I’m just hot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12007306\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_18.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12007306\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_18.jpeg\" alt=\"A young girl with sunglasses on her forehead sits in a classroom behind a tower of small colored blocks.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_18.jpeg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_18-800x1000.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_18-1020x1275.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_18-160x200.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_18-1229x1536.jpeg 1229w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Juliette Sanchez, 13, an eighth grader, said the heat is sometimes unbearable at the Melrose Leadership Academy in Oakland. She is a member of an environmental club that advocated for more efficient heat and air conditioning systems at her school. \u003ccite>(Laure Andrillon/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Student performance on exams declines by up to 14% on hot days, according to a 2018 \u003ca href=\"https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/jisungpark/files/paper_nyc_aejep.pdf\">Harvard study\u003c/a> in New York City. According to another study, an increase in the average temperature of 1 degree leads to \u003ca href=\"https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/pol.20180612\">1% less learning\u003c/a>, measured by changes in test scores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Black and brown students, the learning losses are even greater, said V. Kelly Turner, a heat expert at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs who has researched hot schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re already perhaps in schools that don’t have enough teachers or enough supplies and then put on top of that, they’re going to hot homes,” she said. “Maybe they don’t have any rights to install air conditioning systems. Maybe they live in mobile homes and have even fewer rights.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A state program, \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/california-schools-healthy-air-plumbing-and-efficiency-program\">called CalSHAPE\u003c/a>, helps public schools improve air conditioning and water systems. Between 2021 and 2023, more than 3,800 schools were \u003ca href=\"https://efiling.energy.ca.gov/GetDocument.aspx?tn=254791&DocumentContentId=90470\">awarded\u003c/a> $421 million to assess their systems, with 11 undertaking major repairs or replacements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, in August, state legislators considered eliminating the program \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2024/08/california-electric-bill-legislation/\">as part of a plan to give utility ratepayers small rebates\u003c/a>. Although the bill failed, the program has been closed to new applications since July. More than a dozen school districts have \u003ca href=\"https://efiling.energy.ca.gov/Lists/DocketLog.aspx?docketnumber=20-RENEW-01\">urged the state Energy Commission\u003c/a> to reopen applications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The attempt to gut the program worries school and environmental advocates, who say the state is failing to prioritize schools as climate change raises temperatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For many schools, cooling is no longer just a nicety, but a necessity,” Jonathan Klein, head of UndauntedK12, an organization that supports schools transitioning to zero emissions to reduce greenhouse gasses, said in a statement. “Students and staff deserve safe, healthy, resilient school campuses that support teaching and learning amidst extreme weather.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-fixing-air-conditioners-9-billion-in-la-schools-alone\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Fixing air conditioners: $9 billion in LA schools alone\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Most students return to school in mid-August or early September, when much of the state — particularly in the Los Angeles region — suffers its most intense heat waves. Some schools also operate year-round.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, classroom temperatures reached into the mid-90s during an early September heat wave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teachers at several schools there told CalMatters that their requests for air conditioning repairs went unanswered or were slow to come. Portable units installed in classrooms were insufficient to keep temperatures comfortable enough for students to learn. Students were visibly lethargic from the heat. Some parents opted to keep their children home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kahlenberg, who teaches high school architecture, said he had asked for the air conditioning in his classroom to be repaired for weeks. By the time a heat wave hit in early September, it still wasn’t fixed. His classroom temperature reached 95 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everybody was tired,” Kahlenberg said. “I told them if they needed to take a break, that if they didn’t want to work, it was totally acceptable. I would just extend the project. But it just shouldn’t have to be like that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kahlenberg said teachers told him about 20 other classrooms at his school also didn’t have working air conditioning during that heat wave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12007308\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1568px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_20.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12007308\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_20.jpeg\" alt=\"Students sit in the shade on a soccer field in a schoolyard, next to basketball courts.\" width=\"1568\" height=\"1045\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_20.jpeg 1568w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_20-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_20-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_20-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/092324_Oakland-Schools-AC_LA_CM_20-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1568px) 100vw, 1568px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students sit in the shade in the schoolyard of the Melrose Leadership Academy in Oakland on Sept. 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Laure Andrillon/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A physical education teacher in another Los Angeles school said she spent weeks before the September heat wave trying to flag air conditioning problems in her office. (The teacher wished to remain anonymous out of fear she would be disciplined for discussing the issue with CalMatters.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, when the extreme heat came and the gymnasium temperature was too hot for the students, she and others informed the school. She said the school responded on the last day of the heat wave that students could sit outside in shade if they needed to. The suggestion dumbfounded her: Why would she have her students sit outside, where it was even hotter than in the gym?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All schools in Los Angeles Unified have air conditioners. But Krisztina Tokes, the district’s chief facilities executive\u003cem>, \u003c/em>said 50,000 faulty or aged units and pieces of equipment need to be replaced in the district’s more than 1,000 schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LA Unified, the largest school district in the state, has invested $1 billion to upgrade heating, ventilation and cooling systems in the last two decades, including $287 million for 20 projects that are currently under construction or being designed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tokes said officials work to keep students safe by following protocols when air conditioning breaks down, such as installing portable units or moving students to spare air-conditioned spaces. Outside, schools place portable misting fans and commercial-grade pop-up tents for shade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School days were cut short in schools where district officials felt they couldn’t provide a safe learning environment. Air conditioning systems are also checked at the start of summer and again just before classes start. Teachers and staff are trained to identify and respond to signs of heat related illness, a district spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Under no circumstance should there be a child or parent thinking their health isn’t being addressed,” Tokes said. “There were conditions that were beyond the district’s control.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Replacing all air conditioners in the district’s schools would cost at least $9 billion, according to Amanda Wherritt, Los Angeles Unified’s deputy chief of staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really about financial resources,” Tokes said. “We do not receive enough money from the state to either repair or replace our systems.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-even-coastal-schools-are-sweltering-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Even coastal schools are sweltering \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While many classrooms throughout the state have air conditioning, those that don’t are often in coastal areas. Many of these schools were built in the 1950s or ’60s before the warming effects of climate change had worsened heat waves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Long Beach, less than a decade ago, 51 out of 84 schools didn’t have air conditioning in all classrooms. Since then, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.presstelegram.com/2016/10/22/long-beach-election-2016-school-district-asking-for-15-billion-bond/\">$1.5 billion local facilities bond \u003c/a>has helped the school district upgrade many of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But 13 schools, serving about a quarter of the district’s students, still \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/thirteen-long-beach-schools-braving-socal-heatwave-without-air-conditioning/3503162/\">won’t be fully air-conditioned \u003c/a>for at least another three years. One school, Polytechnic High School, which has about 4,000 students, will undergo major renovations, including adding air conditioning, that won’t be complete until 2028, said Alan Reising, Long Beach Unified School District’s facilities and operations assistant superintendent. In the meantime, officials installed portable air conditioners and outdoor shade structures in many of the schools, Reising said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some inland Long Beach neighborhoods experience five high-heat days a year when temperatures exceed 97 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Arguably, we haven’t needed it,” Reising said. But now, he said, “with the obvious signs of climate change, we have more hot days we have to deal with every year. There’s no thought that it’s going to get better in the future, so the need for air conditioning now has become very obvious.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://calmatters-graphics-heat-housing.netlify.app/heat-days-lookup?initialWidth=780&childId=pym_0&parentTitle=As%20heat%20rises%2C%20kids%20are%20sweltering%20in%20CA%20schools%20with%20no%20AC%20-%20CalMatters&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fcalmatters.org%2Fenvironment%2Fclimate-change%2F2024%2F10%2Fcalifornia-schools-air-conditioning-heatwave-climate%2F\" width=\"1000\" height=\"780\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the San Diego Unified School District, all 175 schools now have air conditioning. The district spent $460 million between 2013 and 2019 to install systems in the 118 schools that didn’t have them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While many of the systems are newer as a result, they’re still \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/hoover-high-school-hot-classroom-air-conditioning/3598054/\">breaking down, \u003c/a>with students saying some classrooms reached around 100 degrees in September. Some San Diego neighborhoods have four high-heat days a year that exceed 91 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were definitely experiencing some air conditioning issues throughout the district. We are doing our best to respond to all repair requests as quickly as possible,” said Samer Naji, a district spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Oakland Unified School District, about 2,000 classrooms in 77 schools have no air conditioners. In late September, outdoor temperatures reached 88 degrees; some Oakland neighborhoods have seven days a year that exceed 89 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Equipping those schools with air conditioning would be an expensive and complicated task that would cost at least $400 million, said Preston Thomas, Oakland Unified School District’s chief systems and services officer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Melrose Learning Academy in Oakland, students said the heat makes it hard to focus. Lyra Modersbach, an eighth grader who is a member of an environmental club at the school, said she has noticed temperatures getting hotter year after year. When she’s home, she can wear cool clothes and rest to beat the heat, but she can’t do that at school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Modersbach said her school has a few portable air conditioners, but if too many are on at once, they shut off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The heat “is very distracting,” she said. “I’ve noticed having a harder time getting my work done or feeling frustrated.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As members of the Youth Versus Apocalypse environmental club, Modersbach and Juliette Sanchez\u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/10/school-heat-pump-climate-emissions\"> advocated for their school to stop using a gas boiler\u003c/a> and invest in an energy-efficient heat pump that will provide air conditioning. The district will use funds from a 2020 $735 million bond measure to \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2023/12/08/oakland-middle-school-students-win-heat-pump-climate-activism/\">install heat pumps\u003c/a> at their school next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-inland-schools-have-little-money-to-invest\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inland schools have little money to invest\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While many inland schools are fully air-conditioned, some don’t have air conditioning in their gymnasiums, cafeterias and multi-purpose rooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many inland school districts, where 100-degree days are common, have far fewer financial resources than wealthier coastal districts, said Sara Hinkley, California program manager for UC Berkeley’s Center for Cities + Schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most of the spending on facility upgrades is based on local bond measures, which is based on your ability to levy property taxes,” she said. “So districts that have lower levels of property values per student are able to raise less money to upgrade their facilities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School districts in the Central Valley and the Inland Empire are among those that have invested less money because of lower property values and a smaller voter base to tap into, Hinkley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s no environmental justice or climate equity imperative. That would take an active regulation to change how bond disbursements are made in the state,” UCLA’s Turner said. “The state could go a long way by investing in better technical assistance to communities to apply for these funds and focusing on priority schools.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fresno Unified School District, where 90% of students are on free or reduced lunch plans, recently invested $60 million in federal funds to replace or install air conditioning systems in some of its gyms, cafeterias and multi-purpose rooms, said Alex Belanger, chief executive over the district’s operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the district needs about $500 million to improve its heating and ventilation systems, Belanger said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Belanger said during heat waves, it’s\u003ca href=\"https://abc30.com/heat-wave-central-california-fresno-unified-ac-down-courthouse/12204755/\"> “all hands on deck” \u003c/a>to keep students cool. Staff work weekends and nights to repair air conditioning systems and the school provides temporary chillers and portable air conditioning if systems break down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Idsvoog said the Fresno school district would like to invest in energy-efficient strategies such as building well-insulated schools with green space and oriented in a way that won’t absorb heat. But there’s simply no money to do so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reality is it’s not going to get any cooler and resources will always be a challenge for any school district,” Idsvoog said. “Any assistance, grants or state funding that can support those efforts is more than welcome.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12007297/a-hot-mess-as-heat-rises-california-kids-are-sweltering-in-schools-without-air-conditioning",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12007297"
],
"categories": [
"news_18540",
"news_457",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_30911",
"news_20013",
"news_34263",
"news_18543",
"news_18578"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_12007305",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_12006964": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12006964",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12006964",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1727636453000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "newsom-has-not-solved-californias-housing-crisis-3-lessons-for-kamala-harris",
"title": "Newsom Has Not Solved California's Housing Crisis. 3 Lessons for Kamala Harris",
"publishDate": 1727636453,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Newsom Has Not Solved California’s Housing Crisis. 3 Lessons for Kamala Harris | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>For California political observers, the housing plan that Kamala Harris recently unveiled may have caused a twinge of familiarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a \u003ca href=\"https://mailchi.mp/press.kamalaharris.com/vice-president-harris-lays-out-agenda-to-lower-costs-for-american-families\">central plank of her agenda\u003c/a> to “lower costs for American families,” the Democratic presidential nominee pledged in August to build 3 million additional affordable homes and rentals over the next four years to address “a serious housing shortage across America” — echoing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s platform during his first gubernatorial campaign in 2018, when he called for California to add 3.5 million housing units by 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Housing policy experts are enthusiastic about many of the ideas that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/tag/Kamala-Harris/\">Harris\u003c/a> floated to promote production, which include creating a new tax incentive for developers who build starter homes for first-time homebuyers, expanding a tax incentive for affordable rental housing projects and establishing a $40 billion “innovation fund” to finance construction, as well as repurposing some federal land for housing and streamlining the permitting processes for projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michael Lens, a professor of urban planning and public policy at UCLA, called it a wonk’s wish list: “This is all of the stuff we talk about at dorky academic conferences.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But transforming the housing market from the top is difficult, as Newsom’s experience has demonstrated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While California has increased production during his time in office — about 112,000 units were completed last year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.hcd.ca.gov/planning-and-community-development/housing-open-data-tools/housing-element-implementation-and-apr-dashboard\">according to the Department of Housing and Community Development\u003c/a>, compared to about 70,000 in 2018 — it is still only building at a fifth of the rate necessary to meet his original target.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The governor has since acknowledged that 3.5 million units “was always a stretch goal” and scaled back. His office declined an interview request for this story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even with new policy priorities in place, high construction costs, onerous regulations, lack of public funding and community resistance remain major hurdles to supercharging homebuilding in California — offering lessons for a potential Harris administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re going to be limited in your ability to change things on the ground,” said Ben Metcalf, a former state and federal housing official who is now managing director of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley. “Even when you are trying to move carrots and sticks, you find years later, what do you have to show?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-set-manageable-goals\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Set manageable goals\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The high cost of housing has long been a top concern for Californians, but the problem is \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/22/business/economy/housing-crisis-kalamazoo-michigan.html\">spreading across the nation\u003c/a>. Industry data indicates that home prices \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2024/housing-market-price-trends-zip-code-map/\">exploded over the past five years\u003c/a>, up more than 50% since 2019, while rent \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rent-cost-us-2024-housing-national/\">surged by about a third\u003c/a> during that time, outstripping raises.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People moving \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/07/cheap-places-to-live-california/\">from expensive cities to outlying areas\u003c/a> for more affordable housing or moving into bigger homes during the coronavirus pandemic has driven up demand in new places, while even many recent pro-growth boom towns are becoming strained by the natural limits of expansion or a dimming taste for development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is plenty of reason to think that it could get worse, in the sense that California is a bellwether,” Lens said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Construction is constrained in California by pricey land, local zoning limits and fees, lengthy permitting processes and the threat of litigation, all of which \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/housing-costs-high-california/\">drive up the cost of building\u003c/a> and make it difficult for many projects to pencil out financially.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear where the Harris campaign came up with its goal of 3 million housing units over the next four years — or how exactly it would measure success, given the emphasis on affordability. A campaign spokesperson did not respond to questions seeking a more detailed explanation, though he did clarify that this would be above current production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That would require a President Harris to immediately boost construction nationwide by 50%, to levels not seen since before the housing market crashed during the 2008 financial crisis. The country built about 1.45 million new homes last year, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/construction/nrc/data/series.html\">U.S. Census Bureau\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strategy carries some political risk. Newsom set an ambitious housing goal as a candidate for governor, which would have required California to build 500,000 new homes per year, and then \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2022/10/newsom-california-housing-crisis/\">faced criticism for falling short\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006967\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006967\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092623_Newsom-Gun-Bill-Signing_MG_CM_11-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092623_Newsom-Gun-Bill-Signing_MG_CM_11-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092623_Newsom-Gun-Bill-Signing_MG_CM_11-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092623_Newsom-Gun-Bill-Signing_MG_CM_11-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092623_Newsom-Gun-Bill-Signing_MG_CM_11-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gov. Gavin Newsom during a press conference where he signed new gun legislation into law at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento on Sept. 26, 2023. \u003ccite>(Miguel Gutierrez Jr./CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Metcalf noted that Harris’ plan for 3 million homes is more aggressive than the 2 million figure that President Joe Biden was campaigning on before he dropped out of the race this summer, but far below the \u003ca href=\"https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/LEGS_CHRON_JUNE2014.PDF\">Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 (PDF)\u003c/a>, which targeted the construction or rehabilitation of 26 million units over the next decade, including six million for low- and moderate-income families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The last time we saw an incoming president really putting a big, bold number on the board was that,” Metcalf said. “She wants to be able to campaign for a second term saying, ‘Hey, we did it.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-clear-regulatory-hurdles\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Clear regulatory hurdles\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California officials are undertaking a serious push to make it easier to build housing. Over the past several years, they have passed major legislation that allows landowners to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2021/08/california-housing-crisis-zoning-bill/\">add additional units on single-family lots\u003c/a> in residential neighborhoods, streamlines the process for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2022/08/california-housing-crisis-labor-deal/\">turning empty commercial properties into housing\u003c/a>, shields certain affordable projects \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/09/affordable-housing-california/\">from lengthy environmental reviews and legal challenges\u003c/a>, opens up \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2024/01/california-housing-laws-2024/\">land owned by religious institutions and colleges\u003c/a> for construction, and gives developers \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2024/04/builders-remedy-bills/\">more tools to speed up permitting\u003c/a> in uncooperative cities and counties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates projected these policies could unlock millions of new homes across the state, but the impact so far has been significantly more modest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s a precursor to making a lot of these things work,” Lens said. “We have to make housing more allowable in more places.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006974\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006974\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/070822_Housing_Elk-Grove_RL_CM_08-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/070822_Housing_Elk-Grove_RL_CM_08-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/070822_Housing_Elk-Grove_RL_CM_08-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/070822_Housing_Elk-Grove_RL_CM_08-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/070822_Housing_Elk-Grove_RL_CM_08-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">New housing construction in Elk Grove on July 8, 2022. \u003ccite>(Rahul Lal/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A series of laws to encourage more “accessory dwelling units” has been a promising exception, according to Chris Elmendorf, a UC Davis law professor with an expertise in land use and housing law. Since California forced local governments to waive fees and affordability requirements and grant faster approval for backyard cottages and other secondary units, the state \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/11/adu-san-diego/\">has seen a boom of ADU construction\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elmendorf said Harris’ proposed tax incentive for starter homes — which is not an official category, but generally refers to more modest housing that provides a cheaper entry point into the market — could similarly provide a quick jolt to the housing supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the goal is to promote small, inexpensive, market-rate homes, that’s really different than what California has been doing,” Elmendorf said. “California has been able to pass a lot of laws, but it hasn’t been able to pass many laws that make housing economically feasible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts argue that California has not been able to maximize the effectiveness of its new pro-housing laws because it is prioritizing so many other goals — demands to use union labor, requirements for more deed-restricted affordable units to reduce gentrification, environmental considerations to discourage sprawl and climate risks — that it’s still too expensive to build here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_12002010,forum_2010101906781,forum_2010101906944\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The high costs for workers, materials and local regulations have been compounded lately by elevated interest rates, which drive up the price tag to finance projects and may actually be \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-02/california-is-building-fewer-homes-the-state-could-get-even-more-expensive\">reversing California’s progress on construction\u003c/a>. Metcalf compared it to a straw breaking the camel’s back for the building industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s something that we’ve made almost no progress on as a state,” he said. “Once you have the table set, if the costs are too high, then nothing gets built.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s of particular concern for affordable housing developers, who rely heavily on public funding. Chione Lucina Muñoz Flegal, executive director of the affordable housing advocacy group Housing California, said that despite state laws that have made it easier to plan projects, developers continue to struggle to pull together enough money to get them over the finish line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She is hopeful about a surge in financial support — through the tax incentives and innovation fund in Harris’ plan — that has been unavailable from state or local governments, which she said have not generally prioritized money for affordable housing because constituents do not understand the benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a narrative challenge that we’re grappling with that often translates into a political challenge,” Flegal said. “That’s a way the federal government could be impactful in a way the state could never be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-use-sticks-as-well-as-carrots\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Use sticks as well as carrots\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Though Newsom made clear his desire to boost housing production in California, not everyone has been on board with his approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some cities, particularly wealthy or coastal suburbs, have vigorously fought to restrict additional development in their own communities, resisting a \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/03/03/state-plan-calls-for-2-5-million-new-homes-by-2030/\">state mandate to plan for far more housing\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2024/06/california-housing-law-charter-city/\">suing to exempt themselves\u003c/a> or overturn new laws that make it easier to build more densely. They contend these policies would destroy the character of their communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom, who argues that everyone must do their part to solve the crisis, has cracked down by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2021/10/california-housing-podcast-enforcement/\">creating a new enforcement unit\u003c/a> within the state housing department and \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2023-04-11/state-of-california-goes-after-huntington-beach-following-housing-plan-rejection\">suing the most intransigent cities\u003c/a> for failing to approve housing plans or \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/community/elk-grove/article291934245.html\">even specific projects\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006975\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006975\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/020624_No-Place-Like-Home_CC_CM_29-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/020624_No-Place-Like-Home_CC_CM_29-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/020624_No-Place-Like-Home_CC_CM_29-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/020624_No-Place-Like-Home_CC_CM_29-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/020624_No-Place-Like-Home_CC_CM_29-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A framer works to build the Ruby Street apartments in Castro Valley on Feb. 6, 2024. The construction project is funded by the No Place Like Home bond, which passed in 2018 to create affordable housing for homeless residents experiencing mental health issues. \u003ccite>(Camille Cohen for CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the federal government does not have the same legal authority that California has given itself to demand local communities build more housing, and there’s no guarantee that Congress would be willing to step in to play more of a role in what has traditionally been a local matter in most states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Plans don’t translate into outcomes if people don’t want to build housing,” Elmendorf said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So to reach her goal of 3 million new homes, Harris would have to rely more on the proposed incentives, such as the tax breaks for starter homes and affordable rentals and the innovation fund, for voluntary compliance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts believe she has a good political opportunity to actually get her plan passed. Congress will be under pressure next year to extend a series of tax cuts made under former President Donald Trump that are \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/18/trump-tcja-tax-cuts-are-slated-to-expire-after-next-year.html\">set to expire at the end of 2025\u003c/a>, which could be used as a bargaining chip for Harris’ housing proposals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The federal government also has the power of the purse on a scale well beyond California, which it could amplify through regulations — such as tying transportation dollars to building more housing — that make supporting development the more desirable option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has tried this type of regulatory incentive, encouraging local governments to remove obstacles to construction with grant money and creating a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.hcd.ca.gov/planning-and-community-development/prohousing-designation-program\">pro-housing designation\u003c/a>” for cities that adopt streamlined development policies, which gives them privileged access to state funds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, that pro-housing designation is not based on outcomes. So that’s a fundamental problem,” Elmendorf said. “That’s something Harris will have to figure out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Kamala Harris pledges to build 3 million affordable homes and apartments in her first term as president, but Gov. Newsom has fallen short on a similar campaign promise in California. What lessons can she learn?",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1727481491,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 43,
"wordCount": 1981
},
"headData": {
"title": "Newsom Has Not Solved California's Housing Crisis. 3 Lessons for Kamala Harris | KQED",
"description": "Kamala Harris pledges to build 3 million affordable homes and apartments in her first term as president, but Gov. Newsom has fallen short on a similar campaign promise in California. What lessons can she learn?",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Newsom Has Not Solved California's Housing Crisis. 3 Lessons for Kamala Harris",
"datePublished": "2024-09-29T12:00:53-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-27T16:58:11-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/alexei-koseff/\">Alexei Koseff\u003c/a>, CalMatters",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12006964/newsom-has-not-solved-californias-housing-crisis-3-lessons-for-kamala-harris",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For California political observers, the housing plan that Kamala Harris recently unveiled may have caused a twinge of familiarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a \u003ca href=\"https://mailchi.mp/press.kamalaharris.com/vice-president-harris-lays-out-agenda-to-lower-costs-for-american-families\">central plank of her agenda\u003c/a> to “lower costs for American families,” the Democratic presidential nominee pledged in August to build 3 million additional affordable homes and rentals over the next four years to address “a serious housing shortage across America” — echoing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s platform during his first gubernatorial campaign in 2018, when he called for California to add 3.5 million housing units by 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Housing policy experts are enthusiastic about many of the ideas that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/tag/Kamala-Harris/\">Harris\u003c/a> floated to promote production, which include creating a new tax incentive for developers who build starter homes for first-time homebuyers, expanding a tax incentive for affordable rental housing projects and establishing a $40 billion “innovation fund” to finance construction, as well as repurposing some federal land for housing and streamlining the permitting processes for projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michael Lens, a professor of urban planning and public policy at UCLA, called it a wonk’s wish list: “This is all of the stuff we talk about at dorky academic conferences.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But transforming the housing market from the top is difficult, as Newsom’s experience has demonstrated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While California has increased production during his time in office — about 112,000 units were completed last year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.hcd.ca.gov/planning-and-community-development/housing-open-data-tools/housing-element-implementation-and-apr-dashboard\">according to the Department of Housing and Community Development\u003c/a>, compared to about 70,000 in 2018 — it is still only building at a fifth of the rate necessary to meet his original target.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The governor has since acknowledged that 3.5 million units “was always a stretch goal” and scaled back. His office declined an interview request for this story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even with new policy priorities in place, high construction costs, onerous regulations, lack of public funding and community resistance remain major hurdles to supercharging homebuilding in California — offering lessons for a potential Harris administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re going to be limited in your ability to change things on the ground,” said Ben Metcalf, a former state and federal housing official who is now managing director of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley. “Even when you are trying to move carrots and sticks, you find years later, what do you have to show?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-set-manageable-goals\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Set manageable goals\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The high cost of housing has long been a top concern for Californians, but the problem is \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/22/business/economy/housing-crisis-kalamazoo-michigan.html\">spreading across the nation\u003c/a>. Industry data indicates that home prices \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2024/housing-market-price-trends-zip-code-map/\">exploded over the past five years\u003c/a>, up more than 50% since 2019, while rent \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rent-cost-us-2024-housing-national/\">surged by about a third\u003c/a> during that time, outstripping raises.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People moving \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/07/cheap-places-to-live-california/\">from expensive cities to outlying areas\u003c/a> for more affordable housing or moving into bigger homes during the coronavirus pandemic has driven up demand in new places, while even many recent pro-growth boom towns are becoming strained by the natural limits of expansion or a dimming taste for development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is plenty of reason to think that it could get worse, in the sense that California is a bellwether,” Lens said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Construction is constrained in California by pricey land, local zoning limits and fees, lengthy permitting processes and the threat of litigation, all of which \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/housing-costs-high-california/\">drive up the cost of building\u003c/a> and make it difficult for many projects to pencil out financially.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear where the Harris campaign came up with its goal of 3 million housing units over the next four years — or how exactly it would measure success, given the emphasis on affordability. A campaign spokesperson did not respond to questions seeking a more detailed explanation, though he did clarify that this would be above current production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That would require a President Harris to immediately boost construction nationwide by 50%, to levels not seen since before the housing market crashed during the 2008 financial crisis. The country built about 1.45 million new homes last year, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/construction/nrc/data/series.html\">U.S. Census Bureau\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strategy carries some political risk. Newsom set an ambitious housing goal as a candidate for governor, which would have required California to build 500,000 new homes per year, and then \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2022/10/newsom-california-housing-crisis/\">faced criticism for falling short\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006967\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006967\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092623_Newsom-Gun-Bill-Signing_MG_CM_11-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092623_Newsom-Gun-Bill-Signing_MG_CM_11-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092623_Newsom-Gun-Bill-Signing_MG_CM_11-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092623_Newsom-Gun-Bill-Signing_MG_CM_11-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092623_Newsom-Gun-Bill-Signing_MG_CM_11-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gov. Gavin Newsom during a press conference where he signed new gun legislation into law at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento on Sept. 26, 2023. \u003ccite>(Miguel Gutierrez Jr./CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Metcalf noted that Harris’ plan for 3 million homes is more aggressive than the 2 million figure that President Joe Biden was campaigning on before he dropped out of the race this summer, but far below the \u003ca href=\"https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/LEGS_CHRON_JUNE2014.PDF\">Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 (PDF)\u003c/a>, which targeted the construction or rehabilitation of 26 million units over the next decade, including six million for low- and moderate-income families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The last time we saw an incoming president really putting a big, bold number on the board was that,” Metcalf said. “She wants to be able to campaign for a second term saying, ‘Hey, we did it.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-clear-regulatory-hurdles\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Clear regulatory hurdles\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California officials are undertaking a serious push to make it easier to build housing. Over the past several years, they have passed major legislation that allows landowners to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2021/08/california-housing-crisis-zoning-bill/\">add additional units on single-family lots\u003c/a> in residential neighborhoods, streamlines the process for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2022/08/california-housing-crisis-labor-deal/\">turning empty commercial properties into housing\u003c/a>, shields certain affordable projects \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/09/affordable-housing-california/\">from lengthy environmental reviews and legal challenges\u003c/a>, opens up \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2024/01/california-housing-laws-2024/\">land owned by religious institutions and colleges\u003c/a> for construction, and gives developers \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2024/04/builders-remedy-bills/\">more tools to speed up permitting\u003c/a> in uncooperative cities and counties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates projected these policies could unlock millions of new homes across the state, but the impact so far has been significantly more modest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s a precursor to making a lot of these things work,” Lens said. “We have to make housing more allowable in more places.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006974\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006974\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/070822_Housing_Elk-Grove_RL_CM_08-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/070822_Housing_Elk-Grove_RL_CM_08-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/070822_Housing_Elk-Grove_RL_CM_08-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/070822_Housing_Elk-Grove_RL_CM_08-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/070822_Housing_Elk-Grove_RL_CM_08-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">New housing construction in Elk Grove on July 8, 2022. \u003ccite>(Rahul Lal/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A series of laws to encourage more “accessory dwelling units” has been a promising exception, according to Chris Elmendorf, a UC Davis law professor with an expertise in land use and housing law. Since California forced local governments to waive fees and affordability requirements and grant faster approval for backyard cottages and other secondary units, the state \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/11/adu-san-diego/\">has seen a boom of ADU construction\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elmendorf said Harris’ proposed tax incentive for starter homes — which is not an official category, but generally refers to more modest housing that provides a cheaper entry point into the market — could similarly provide a quick jolt to the housing supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the goal is to promote small, inexpensive, market-rate homes, that’s really different than what California has been doing,” Elmendorf said. “California has been able to pass a lot of laws, but it hasn’t been able to pass many laws that make housing economically feasible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts argue that California has not been able to maximize the effectiveness of its new pro-housing laws because it is prioritizing so many other goals — demands to use union labor, requirements for more deed-restricted affordable units to reduce gentrification, environmental considerations to discourage sprawl and climate risks — that it’s still too expensive to build here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "Related Stories ",
"postid": "news_12002010,forum_2010101906781,forum_2010101906944"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The high costs for workers, materials and local regulations have been compounded lately by elevated interest rates, which drive up the price tag to finance projects and may actually be \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-02/california-is-building-fewer-homes-the-state-could-get-even-more-expensive\">reversing California’s progress on construction\u003c/a>. Metcalf compared it to a straw breaking the camel’s back for the building industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s something that we’ve made almost no progress on as a state,” he said. “Once you have the table set, if the costs are too high, then nothing gets built.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s of particular concern for affordable housing developers, who rely heavily on public funding. Chione Lucina Muñoz Flegal, executive director of the affordable housing advocacy group Housing California, said that despite state laws that have made it easier to plan projects, developers continue to struggle to pull together enough money to get them over the finish line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She is hopeful about a surge in financial support — through the tax incentives and innovation fund in Harris’ plan — that has been unavailable from state or local governments, which she said have not generally prioritized money for affordable housing because constituents do not understand the benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a narrative challenge that we’re grappling with that often translates into a political challenge,” Flegal said. “That’s a way the federal government could be impactful in a way the state could never be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-use-sticks-as-well-as-carrots\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Use sticks as well as carrots\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Though Newsom made clear his desire to boost housing production in California, not everyone has been on board with his approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some cities, particularly wealthy or coastal suburbs, have vigorously fought to restrict additional development in their own communities, resisting a \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/03/03/state-plan-calls-for-2-5-million-new-homes-by-2030/\">state mandate to plan for far more housing\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2024/06/california-housing-law-charter-city/\">suing to exempt themselves\u003c/a> or overturn new laws that make it easier to build more densely. They contend these policies would destroy the character of their communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom, who argues that everyone must do their part to solve the crisis, has cracked down by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2021/10/california-housing-podcast-enforcement/\">creating a new enforcement unit\u003c/a> within the state housing department and \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2023-04-11/state-of-california-goes-after-huntington-beach-following-housing-plan-rejection\">suing the most intransigent cities\u003c/a> for failing to approve housing plans or \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/community/elk-grove/article291934245.html\">even specific projects\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006975\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006975\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/020624_No-Place-Like-Home_CC_CM_29-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/020624_No-Place-Like-Home_CC_CM_29-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/020624_No-Place-Like-Home_CC_CM_29-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/020624_No-Place-Like-Home_CC_CM_29-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/020624_No-Place-Like-Home_CC_CM_29-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A framer works to build the Ruby Street apartments in Castro Valley on Feb. 6, 2024. The construction project is funded by the No Place Like Home bond, which passed in 2018 to create affordable housing for homeless residents experiencing mental health issues. \u003ccite>(Camille Cohen for CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the federal government does not have the same legal authority that California has given itself to demand local communities build more housing, and there’s no guarantee that Congress would be willing to step in to play more of a role in what has traditionally been a local matter in most states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Plans don’t translate into outcomes if people don’t want to build housing,” Elmendorf said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So to reach her goal of 3 million new homes, Harris would have to rely more on the proposed incentives, such as the tax breaks for starter homes and affordable rentals and the innovation fund, for voluntary compliance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts believe she has a good political opportunity to actually get her plan passed. Congress will be under pressure next year to extend a series of tax cuts made under former President Donald Trump that are \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/18/trump-tcja-tax-cuts-are-slated-to-expire-after-next-year.html\">set to expire at the end of 2025\u003c/a>, which could be used as a bargaining chip for Harris’ housing proposals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The federal government also has the power of the purse on a scale well beyond California, which it could amplify through regulations — such as tying transportation dollars to building more housing — that make supporting development the more desirable option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has tried this type of regulatory incentive, encouraging local governments to remove obstacles to construction with grant money and creating a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.hcd.ca.gov/planning-and-community-development/prohousing-designation-program\">pro-housing designation\u003c/a>” for cities that adopt streamlined development policies, which gives them privileged access to state funds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, that pro-housing designation is not based on outcomes. So that’s a fundamental problem,” Elmendorf said. “That’s something Harris will have to figure out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12006964/newsom-has-not-solved-californias-housing-crisis-3-lessons-for-kamala-harris",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12006964"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_6266",
"news_8",
"news_13"
],
"tags": [
"news_3921",
"news_4020",
"news_1775"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_12006965",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_12006589": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12006589",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12006589",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1727377224000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "california-school-boards-sue-say-newsom-is-unlawfully-removing-school-funding-safety-net",
"title": "California School Boards Sue, Say Newsom Is Unlawfully Removing School Funding 'Safety Net'",
"publishDate": 1727377224,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "California School Boards Sue, Say Newsom Is Unlawfully Removing School Funding ‘Safety Net’ | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom’s funding plan for California schools violates the state’s constitution and could endanger school funding in years to come, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Sacramento.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California School Boards Association, which filed the suit, has been \u003ca href=\"http://blog.csba.org/may-revise-announcement/\">outspoken in its opposition\u003c/a> to the plan since Newsom introduced his revised budget in May. The \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletter/california-budget-legislature/\">state already passed its budget,\u003c/a> and the lawsuit won’t affect the money that’s already been allotted to schools, but the association hopes a judge will strike down what they described as Newsom’s “funding maneuver.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The governor, trying to preserve funding for schools amid a tight economic climate, made up an $8.8 billion shortfall in the Proposition 98 school funding guarantee by borrowing from the state’s general fund.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The manipulation … is unacceptable as it removes a funding safety net that has served schools for more than three decades and could be used by future governors and legislatures to avoid complying with the Proposition 98 funding guarantee,” association president Albert Gonzalez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom’s office said the accounting move was not only legal but \u003ca href=\"https://dof.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/2024/07/Response-to-the-California-School-Boards-Association-Regarding-Prop-98-Certification-CC.pdf\">saved schools from potential budget cuts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because general fund revenues were significantly lower than estimated … the recalculated minimum guarantee for fiscal year 2022–23 is roughly $8.8 billion less than previously calculated,” Joe Stephenshaw, the state’s director of finance, \u003ca href=\"https://dof.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/2024/07/Response-to-the-California-School-Boards-Association-Regarding-Prop-98-Certification-CC.pdf\">wrote to legislative leaders\u003c/a> in July. “To help address this decrease in the minimum guarantee without impacting school district and community college district budgets,” the budget shifts some spending sources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"more education coverage\" tag=\"education\"]Proposition 98, passed nearly 40 years ago, sets a minimum funding guarantee for California’s public schools. Based on a complex set of formulas, the guarantee is roughly 40% of the state’s budget and pays for things such as teacher salaries and day-to-day operating expenses at the state’s 10,000 schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom has invested heavily in schools during his stint as governor, funneling billions to programs like community schools, improved school meals, student mental health and other initiatives. He’s said that these programs are especially important as students recover from the pandemic, academically as well as emotionally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s per-pupil spending, which used to be among the nation’s lowest, is now \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/financing-californias-public-schools/#:~:text=In%202019%E2%80%9320%20(the%20most,nation%20(%2416%2C023%20per%20pupil).\">above average\u003c/a>, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. In 2022–23, California spent \u003ca href=\"https://www.ed-data.org/State/CA\">$19,475 per student\u003c/a>, counting revenue from all sources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overall, the education budget this year was $134 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, schools are still facing a precarious budget outlook as federal pandemic relief money expires, absenteeism remains high and enrollment continues to drop in many parts of the state. California funds schools based on attendance, so fewer students in classrooms equals less revenue from the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, schools are trying to find money to maintain programs that have proven successful, such as academic tutoring, after-school programs and summer school. They’re also grappling with teacher shortages in some subjects, and raising salaries to attract and retain staff.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "A lawsuit filed Thursday by the California School Boards Association alleges that Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to lower the guaranteed amount of funding for California schools violates the state’s constitution and could endanger school funding in years to come. \r\n\r\n",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1728597020,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 14,
"wordCount": 536
},
"headData": {
"title": "California School Boards Sue, Say Newsom Is Unlawfully Removing School Funding 'Safety Net' | KQED",
"description": "A lawsuit filed Thursday by the California School Boards Association alleges that Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to lower the guaranteed amount of funding for California schools violates the state’s constitution and could endanger school funding in years to come. \r\n\r\n",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "California School Boards Sue, Say Newsom Is Unlawfully Removing School Funding 'Safety Net'",
"datePublished": "2024-09-26T12:00:24-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-10-10T14:50:20-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/carolyn-jones/\">Carolyn Jones\u003c/a>",
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12006589",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12006589/california-school-boards-sue-say-newsom-is-unlawfully-removing-school-funding-safety-net",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom’s funding plan for California schools violates the state’s constitution and could endanger school funding in years to come, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Sacramento.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California School Boards Association, which filed the suit, has been \u003ca href=\"http://blog.csba.org/may-revise-announcement/\">outspoken in its opposition\u003c/a> to the plan since Newsom introduced his revised budget in May. The \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletter/california-budget-legislature/\">state already passed its budget,\u003c/a> and the lawsuit won’t affect the money that’s already been allotted to schools, but the association hopes a judge will strike down what they described as Newsom’s “funding maneuver.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The governor, trying to preserve funding for schools amid a tight economic climate, made up an $8.8 billion shortfall in the Proposition 98 school funding guarantee by borrowing from the state’s general fund.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The manipulation … is unacceptable as it removes a funding safety net that has served schools for more than three decades and could be used by future governors and legislatures to avoid complying with the Proposition 98 funding guarantee,” association president Albert Gonzalez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom’s office said the accounting move was not only legal but \u003ca href=\"https://dof.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/2024/07/Response-to-the-California-School-Boards-Association-Regarding-Prop-98-Certification-CC.pdf\">saved schools from potential budget cuts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because general fund revenues were significantly lower than estimated … the recalculated minimum guarantee for fiscal year 2022–23 is roughly $8.8 billion less than previously calculated,” Joe Stephenshaw, the state’s director of finance, \u003ca href=\"https://dof.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/2024/07/Response-to-the-California-School-Boards-Association-Regarding-Prop-98-Certification-CC.pdf\">wrote to legislative leaders\u003c/a> in July. “To help address this decrease in the minimum guarantee without impacting school district and community college district budgets,” the budget shifts some spending sources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "more education coverage ",
"tag": "education"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Proposition 98, passed nearly 40 years ago, sets a minimum funding guarantee for California’s public schools. Based on a complex set of formulas, the guarantee is roughly 40% of the state’s budget and pays for things such as teacher salaries and day-to-day operating expenses at the state’s 10,000 schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom has invested heavily in schools during his stint as governor, funneling billions to programs like community schools, improved school meals, student mental health and other initiatives. He’s said that these programs are especially important as students recover from the pandemic, academically as well as emotionally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s per-pupil spending, which used to be among the nation’s lowest, is now \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/financing-californias-public-schools/#:~:text=In%202019%E2%80%9320%20(the%20most,nation%20(%2416%2C023%20per%20pupil).\">above average\u003c/a>, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. In 2022–23, California spent \u003ca href=\"https://www.ed-data.org/State/CA\">$19,475 per student\u003c/a>, counting revenue from all sources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overall, the education budget this year was $134 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, schools are still facing a precarious budget outlook as federal pandemic relief money expires, absenteeism remains high and enrollment continues to drop in many parts of the state. California funds schools based on attendance, so fewer students in classrooms equals less revenue from the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, schools are trying to find money to maintain programs that have proven successful, such as academic tutoring, after-school programs and summer school. They’re also grappling with teacher shortages in some subjects, and raising salaries to attract and retain staff.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12006589/california-school-boards-sue-say-newsom-is-unlawfully-removing-school-funding-safety-net",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12006589"
],
"categories": [
"news_18540",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_30911",
"news_20013",
"news_16",
"news_4961"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_12006592",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_12006322": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12006322",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12006322",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1727298023000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "cal-state-campuses-brace-for-severe-consequences-as-budget-gap-looms",
"title": "Cal State Campuses Brace for ‘Severe Consequences’ as Budget Gap Looms",
"publishDate": 1727298023,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Cal State Campuses Brace for ‘Severe Consequences’ as Budget Gap Looms | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>California State University is anticipating state spending cuts next summer of nearly $400 million and a delay in promised state support of more than $250 million. The projected budget gap may prevent the system from enrolling new students, offering employee raises and spending more money to boost graduation rates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal State’s Board of Trustees heard system senior finance staff \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=26\">detail the grim fiscal outlook\u003c/a> on Tuesday at a public meeting. They presented figures that show a 2025–26 budget hole of about $400 million to $800 million — a sizable chunk of Cal State’s estimated operating budget of \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/MeetingHandouts/September%2022-25,%202024/FIN%20Item%204%20-%20Approval%20of%202025-26%20Operating%20Budget%20Request%20-%20Handout%20v1.pdf#page=3\">$8.3 billion next year\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think we’ve got a lot of broken calculators in Sacramento,” said Trustee Jack McGrory at the hearing. “We’re expected to increase enrollment, fulfill the needs of the labor market and continue to grow the economy, and at the same time, we’re facing these incredibly massive cuts. “What happens to our 500,000 students with these incredibly massive cuts? … We’re talking layoffs. Everybody’s got to face up to that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He and others stressed that the system has been in a state of fiscal distress for several years. Last year, the trustees indicated that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/05/cal-state-tuition/\">Cal State spends $1.5 billion less than it should\u003c/a> to adequately educate its students — a figure that predated the austerity measures that may be on the horizon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The smaller $400 million amount is the projected budget hole from mandatory new expenses and state cuts, minus new revenue \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/09/cal-state-tuition-2/\">from the tuition hikes the board approved last year\u003c/a>. Those tuition increases — growing 5% annually from this year \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/attend/paying-for-college/csu-costs/tuition-and-fees/Pages/future-tuition-and-fees.aspx\">to at least 2028–29\u003c/a> — aren’t enough to counteract the state cuts that lawmakers said they’d enact next year. \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=29\">The mandatory expenses include\u003c/a> $60 million more for health insurance premiums for workers and $55 million in increased financial aid for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposed $400 million cut \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=26\">is equal to the money\u003c/a> the system spends to educate 36,000 students. Cal State enrolled more than 450,000 students last fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The larger $800 million figure is the budget gap when taking into account spending Cal State feels it should pursue, such as employee raises and more spending on student academic services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Cuts would particularly affect the most vulnerable students, limiting their access to academic support tools, advising, counseling and engagement programs,” the \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=31\">agenda document reads\u003c/a>. Also at risk is the system’s efforts to improve graduation rates for Black students, a population Cal State \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2022/11/cal-poly-black-students/\">has struggled to serve\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A trustees committee approved a budget request to Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=28\">that would largely avoid the projected deficit\u003c/a>; the full board is expected to approve it on Wednesday. In January, Newsom will debut his budget proposal for the next fiscal year. He and lawmakers will negotiate a final budget June of next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Why Cal State has a budget problem\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>That one-two punch of potential cuts and funding delays was spelled out in the budget deal that the Legislature and Newsom finalized this summer. It could have been worse: Initially, Newsom wanted to apply \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2024/06/financial-aid-california-budget/\">cuts to Cal State this budget year\u003c/a> to address California’s multi-billion-dollar deficit. However, lawmakers \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletter/california-budget-deal-winners-losers/\">pushed back to buy\u003c/a> the university another year to prepare for the cuts and possibly avoid them if the state’s revenue picture brightens. Steve Relyea, the top finance officer at Cal State, said system leaders should get credit for advocating for that reprieve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Cal State officials are setting a foreboding tone, warning of “severe consequences for students, staff and faculty across all CSU universities” that “could lead to larger class sizes, reduced course offerings, diminished student services, layoffs and hiring freezes,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=26\">the system’s 2025–26 budget proposal reads\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some campuses \u003ca href=\"https://kion546.com/news/2024/05/24/csu-monterey-bay-lays-off-16-personnel-following-4-million-deficit/\">have\u003c/a> already laid off workers this year or \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2024/budget-cuts-begin-to-surface-at-california-state-university/718699\">plan to\u003c/a>. Meghan O’Donnell, a lecturer at Cal State Monterey Bay and a senior officer in the systemwide faculty union, told CalMatters that the jobs of hundreds of lecturers have been totally slashed or reduced because campuses are cutting the overall number of classes they offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lecturer job cuts have occurred at the campuses of Chico, East Bay, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Monterey Bay, San Bernardino, San Francisco and Sonoma. Lecturers have fewer job protections than faculty with tenure or who are on the tenure track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union expects to see formal system data about faculty job loss and work reductions in November. O’Donnell said Cal State Monterey Bay put its faculty on layoff notice last year, but the union was able to negotiate and five faculty marked for layoffs instead got voluntary separation agreements. Meanwhile, in her academic department of humanities and communications, four tenured faculty at Monterey Bay took early retirement packages while three others quit and found university jobs outside the Cal State system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meeting the state’s goals of enrolling a higher number of new students than past years is also at risk, officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Enrollment growth is very challenging at a time when you’re not getting the resources,” Relyea said. “You can’t bring in additional students if you don’t bring in faculty to teach the students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Current budget problems\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Already, the system is working to close an \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/July-22-24-2024-FIN.pdf#page=17\">operating deficit of $218 million this academic year\u003c/a>— even after new revenue this year from the tuition hikes and some extra state support. It’s a repeat of last year’s situation of ever-higher revenues but even higher expenses. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2024/05/cal-state-budget/\">And like last academic year\u003c/a>, campuses \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/July-22-24-2024-FIN.pdf#page=17\">are coping\u003c/a> by pulling from reserves, not filling vacancies and combining under-enrolled classes or outright cutting them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several trustees also noted that the system doesn’t adequately sell its story to lawmakers and the public about the impact the reductions have had on the system. “We’ve almost been too effective at making these cuts year over year over year,” said Diego Arambula, vice chair of the board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A hiring freeze is a hiring freeze, and that does impact students if we’re not bringing someone into a role that we know is important,” he said. “It’s impacting our staff, who are taking on more to try and still meet the needs of the students who are here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, eight campuses are working with even less money because the system \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/01/college-enrollment-decline-csu-funding-penalty/\">began its plan of pulling some funding\u003c/a> from schools that are missing enrollment targets by at least 10%. Cal State leadership rerouted the money to nine schools with growing enrollments. Those eight campuses are down \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/about-the-csu/budget/Documents/fy-budget-coded-memos/B_2024-02_Final_Budget_Allocations_Attachments.pdf#page=2\">a combined $21 million this year\u003c/a> — with San Francisco State getting hit the hardest by losing $6 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Relyea said the campuses are facing the prospect of pulling money from academic services to afford to keep the lights on. “If you’re going to delay maintaining that electrical system, there’s a risk. Are you going to take that risk? How does that compare to the risk of not funding student counselors?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even campus presidents with enrollment growth say they’re struggling. San Jose State has cut $55 million from its budget the past two years, in part by not hiring new staff and avoiding replacing non-faculty job openings, its president, Cynthia Teniente-Matson, told the trustees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To raise revenue, the campus is enrolling 300 new non-resident students — who pay much more in tuition — in majors that aren’t over-enrolled, she said.[aside postID=\"news_11986301,news_11987878\" label=\"Related Stories\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal State San Bernardino had an average operating budget of $266 million until last year. Now, it’s eyeing an average operating budget of $217 million if next year’s expected cuts come through. “No organization can survive with that level of budget cut,” the campus president, Tomás D. Morales, told the trustees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The system’s reserves also aren’t enough to ride out a large multi-year deficit. Cal State campuses have a combined \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=41\">$777 million in one-time funds saved for economic hardships\u003c/a> — enough to sustain operations for about a month. The system’s goal is to have enough saved for at least three months of operations. Other reserves of about \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=41\">$1.5 billion\u003c/a> are meant for \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/about-the-csu/budget/2024-25-operating-budget/Pages/designated-balances-and-reserves.aspx\">debt payments, financial aid and contracts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Cal State officials are projecting a 2025-26 budget hole of about $400 million to $800 million. They are warning of layoffs and academic cuts.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1727292998,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 27,
"wordCount": 1437
},
"headData": {
"title": "Cal State Campuses Brace for ‘Severe Consequences’ as Budget Gap Looms | KQED",
"description": "Cal State officials are projecting a 2025-26 budget hole of about $400 million to $800 million. They are warning of layoffs and academic cuts.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Cal State Campuses Brace for ‘Severe Consequences’ as Budget Gap Looms",
"datePublished": "2024-09-25T14:00:23-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-25T12:36:38-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/mikhailzinshteyn\">Mikhail Zinshteyn, \u003c/a>CalMatters",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12006322/cal-state-campuses-brace-for-severe-consequences-as-budget-gap-looms",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California State University is anticipating state spending cuts next summer of nearly $400 million and a delay in promised state support of more than $250 million. The projected budget gap may prevent the system from enrolling new students, offering employee raises and spending more money to boost graduation rates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal State’s Board of Trustees heard system senior finance staff \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=26\">detail the grim fiscal outlook\u003c/a> on Tuesday at a public meeting. They presented figures that show a 2025–26 budget hole of about $400 million to $800 million — a sizable chunk of Cal State’s estimated operating budget of \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/MeetingHandouts/September%2022-25,%202024/FIN%20Item%204%20-%20Approval%20of%202025-26%20Operating%20Budget%20Request%20-%20Handout%20v1.pdf#page=3\">$8.3 billion next year\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think we’ve got a lot of broken calculators in Sacramento,” said Trustee Jack McGrory at the hearing. “We’re expected to increase enrollment, fulfill the needs of the labor market and continue to grow the economy, and at the same time, we’re facing these incredibly massive cuts. “What happens to our 500,000 students with these incredibly massive cuts? … We’re talking layoffs. Everybody’s got to face up to that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He and others stressed that the system has been in a state of fiscal distress for several years. Last year, the trustees indicated that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/05/cal-state-tuition/\">Cal State spends $1.5 billion less than it should\u003c/a> to adequately educate its students — a figure that predated the austerity measures that may be on the horizon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The smaller $400 million amount is the projected budget hole from mandatory new expenses and state cuts, minus new revenue \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/09/cal-state-tuition-2/\">from the tuition hikes the board approved last year\u003c/a>. Those tuition increases — growing 5% annually from this year \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/attend/paying-for-college/csu-costs/tuition-and-fees/Pages/future-tuition-and-fees.aspx\">to at least 2028–29\u003c/a> — aren’t enough to counteract the state cuts that lawmakers said they’d enact next year. \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=29\">The mandatory expenses include\u003c/a> $60 million more for health insurance premiums for workers and $55 million in increased financial aid for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposed $400 million cut \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=26\">is equal to the money\u003c/a> the system spends to educate 36,000 students. Cal State enrolled more than 450,000 students last fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The larger $800 million figure is the budget gap when taking into account spending Cal State feels it should pursue, such as employee raises and more spending on student academic services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Cuts would particularly affect the most vulnerable students, limiting their access to academic support tools, advising, counseling and engagement programs,” the \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=31\">agenda document reads\u003c/a>. Also at risk is the system’s efforts to improve graduation rates for Black students, a population Cal State \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2022/11/cal-poly-black-students/\">has struggled to serve\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A trustees committee approved a budget request to Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=28\">that would largely avoid the projected deficit\u003c/a>; the full board is expected to approve it on Wednesday. In January, Newsom will debut his budget proposal for the next fiscal year. He and lawmakers will negotiate a final budget June of next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Why Cal State has a budget problem\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>That one-two punch of potential cuts and funding delays was spelled out in the budget deal that the Legislature and Newsom finalized this summer. It could have been worse: Initially, Newsom wanted to apply \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2024/06/financial-aid-california-budget/\">cuts to Cal State this budget year\u003c/a> to address California’s multi-billion-dollar deficit. However, lawmakers \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletter/california-budget-deal-winners-losers/\">pushed back to buy\u003c/a> the university another year to prepare for the cuts and possibly avoid them if the state’s revenue picture brightens. Steve Relyea, the top finance officer at Cal State, said system leaders should get credit for advocating for that reprieve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Cal State officials are setting a foreboding tone, warning of “severe consequences for students, staff and faculty across all CSU universities” that “could lead to larger class sizes, reduced course offerings, diminished student services, layoffs and hiring freezes,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=26\">the system’s 2025–26 budget proposal reads\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some campuses \u003ca href=\"https://kion546.com/news/2024/05/24/csu-monterey-bay-lays-off-16-personnel-following-4-million-deficit/\">have\u003c/a> already laid off workers this year or \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2024/budget-cuts-begin-to-surface-at-california-state-university/718699\">plan to\u003c/a>. Meghan O’Donnell, a lecturer at Cal State Monterey Bay and a senior officer in the systemwide faculty union, told CalMatters that the jobs of hundreds of lecturers have been totally slashed or reduced because campuses are cutting the overall number of classes they offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lecturer job cuts have occurred at the campuses of Chico, East Bay, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Monterey Bay, San Bernardino, San Francisco and Sonoma. Lecturers have fewer job protections than faculty with tenure or who are on the tenure track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union expects to see formal system data about faculty job loss and work reductions in November. O’Donnell said Cal State Monterey Bay put its faculty on layoff notice last year, but the union was able to negotiate and five faculty marked for layoffs instead got voluntary separation agreements. Meanwhile, in her academic department of humanities and communications, four tenured faculty at Monterey Bay took early retirement packages while three others quit and found university jobs outside the Cal State system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meeting the state’s goals of enrolling a higher number of new students than past years is also at risk, officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Enrollment growth is very challenging at a time when you’re not getting the resources,” Relyea said. “You can’t bring in additional students if you don’t bring in faculty to teach the students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Current budget problems\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Already, the system is working to close an \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/July-22-24-2024-FIN.pdf#page=17\">operating deficit of $218 million this academic year\u003c/a>— even after new revenue this year from the tuition hikes and some extra state support. It’s a repeat of last year’s situation of ever-higher revenues but even higher expenses. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2024/05/cal-state-budget/\">And like last academic year\u003c/a>, campuses \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/July-22-24-2024-FIN.pdf#page=17\">are coping\u003c/a> by pulling from reserves, not filling vacancies and combining under-enrolled classes or outright cutting them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several trustees also noted that the system doesn’t adequately sell its story to lawmakers and the public about the impact the reductions have had on the system. “We’ve almost been too effective at making these cuts year over year over year,” said Diego Arambula, vice chair of the board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A hiring freeze is a hiring freeze, and that does impact students if we’re not bringing someone into a role that we know is important,” he said. “It’s impacting our staff, who are taking on more to try and still meet the needs of the students who are here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, eight campuses are working with even less money because the system \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/01/college-enrollment-decline-csu-funding-penalty/\">began its plan of pulling some funding\u003c/a> from schools that are missing enrollment targets by at least 10%. Cal State leadership rerouted the money to nine schools with growing enrollments. Those eight campuses are down \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/about-the-csu/budget/Documents/fy-budget-coded-memos/B_2024-02_Final_Budget_Allocations_Attachments.pdf#page=2\">a combined $21 million this year\u003c/a> — with San Francisco State getting hit the hardest by losing $6 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Relyea said the campuses are facing the prospect of pulling money from academic services to afford to keep the lights on. “If you’re going to delay maintaining that electrical system, there’s a risk. Are you going to take that risk? How does that compare to the risk of not funding student counselors?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even campus presidents with enrollment growth say they’re struggling. San Jose State has cut $55 million from its budget the past two years, in part by not hiring new staff and avoiding replacing non-faculty job openings, its president, Cynthia Teniente-Matson, told the trustees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To raise revenue, the campus is enrolling 300 new non-resident students — who pay much more in tuition — in majors that aren’t over-enrolled, she said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_11986301,news_11987878",
"label": "Related Stories "
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal State San Bernardino had an average operating budget of $266 million until last year. Now, it’s eyeing an average operating budget of $217 million if next year’s expected cuts come through. “No organization can survive with that level of budget cut,” the campus president, Tomás D. Morales, told the trustees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The system’s reserves also aren’t enough to ride out a large multi-year deficit. Cal State campuses have a combined \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=41\">$777 million in one-time funds saved for economic hardships\u003c/a> — enough to sustain operations for about a month. The system’s goal is to have enough saved for at least three months of operations. Other reserves of about \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2024/Documents/Sep-24-25-2024-FIN-binder.pdf#page=41\">$1.5 billion\u003c/a> are meant for \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/about-the-csu/budget/2024-25-operating-budget/Pages/designated-balances-and-reserves.aspx\">debt payments, financial aid and contracts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12006322/cal-state-campuses-brace-for-severe-consequences-as-budget-gap-looms",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12006322"
],
"categories": [
"news_18540",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_352"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_12006348",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_12006176": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12006176",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12006176",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1727274615000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "how-a-new-california-law-will-shield-student-athletes-from-heat",
"title": "How a New California Law Will Shield Student Athletes From Heat",
"publishDate": 1727274615,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "How a New California Law Will Shield Student Athletes From Heat | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Football practice has always been something of an extreme sport in the Coachella Valley, where temperatures can flare far above 100 degrees for weeks on end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, a change in California law authored by an Inland Empire lawmaker requires extra monitoring of young athletes on the hottest days and sets strict guidelines for how and when they can play in extreme heat. The rules will affect high school athletics throughout the state and expand safety practices that schools in the desert have observed for years, said Estevan Valencia, athletic director at Palm Desert High.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been playing sports for over 100 years out here,” he said. “Our coaches and parents and kids have all grown up in this type of environment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coaches shift practice schedules to early morning or after sunset, he said, or they call for frequent water breaks and monitor athletes for signs of heat stress, such as red faces or dizziness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been doing this for a long time; now it’s just mandated and monitored,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Interscholastic Federation developed the rules to meet \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240ab1653\">standards set in the law\u003c/a> by \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/kate-sanchez-165419\">Assemblymember Kate Sanchez\u003c/a>, a Rancho Santa Margarita Republican whose district includes parts of western Riverside County. Though the law passed last year, the regulations took effect in July, in time for back-to-school sports and the recent heat wave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Rafael Perez, cross-country coach at Norte Vista High in Riverside, it means reigning in his students’ normally far-ranging runs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“On high heat days, we limit them to a smaller space so they can pause and have water breaks, rather than having them two miles out and having them have heat-related problems where they’re too far for any support,” Perez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Practice in the desert\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>As temperatures soared to 114 degrees in the Coachella Valley earlier this month, coaches moved practices to cooler times or indoors and vigilantly watched what is called the wet bulb, a handheld instrument at the heart of the new rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The wet bulb looks like a cell phone on steroids,” Valencia said. “We turn it on, and it gives us a reading of temperature, humidity and wind.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006190\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006190\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28.jpg\" alt=\"A young man wearing a gray shirt runs on the road.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Junior Isidro Leanos runs along a bike path outside Norte Vista High School in Riverside. \u003ccite>(Carlin Stiehl/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The device is designed to \u003ca href=\"https://koreystringer.institute.uconn.edu/wet-bulb-globe-temperature-monitoring/\">approximate the effect of heat on human bodies\u003c/a>, accounting for air movement, sunlight and evaporative cooling. At high humidity, a wet bulb reading will be at or near air temperature, but in dryer conditions, its temperature measurement drops, estimating the effect of evaporation. It was invented in the 1950s to protect Army and Marine Corps service members from heat illness, and it has been used in sports since then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006187\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006187\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15.jpg\" alt=\"The shadows of people on a sidewalk.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The shadows of students as they stretch before cross-country practice at Norte Vista High School in Riverside. \u003ccite>(Carlin Stiehl/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The wet bulb is a more universally accepted measurement for heat stress than standard readings of air temperature or a heat index, said Dave Gustafson, director of educational services for Desert Sands Unified School District, which includes Palm Desert High. “It’s a bit of a change from what we’ve been used to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006191\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006191\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30.jpg\" alt=\"Young people run along a bike path on dry land.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students run along a bike path outside of Norte Vista High School in Riverside. \u003ccite>(Carlin Stiehl/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The new rules flow from those readings, with escalating restrictions on sports practice and competition at higher wet bulb temperatures. The heat thresholds vary by geographic zone. Coastal areas are in Zone 1, with restrictions at lower temperatures than schools in Zone 2, which is slightly inland. Hotter and dryer inland areas — with the highest heat thresholds — are in Zone 3.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every school district in the Inland Empire falls in Zone 3.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Training in the hot zones\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>At the first heat threshold of 82.2 degrees Fahrenheit for Zone 3, coaches must provide more frequent water breaks. At the next heat level, football players must shed parts of their uniforms. As heat rises further, they’re forbidden to wear any protective gear. At the final heat level of 92.1 degrees Fahrenheit, outdoor practice is forbidden entirely for that zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That gives Zone 3 schools a little more leeway to hold hot weather practices than the other schools. However, many days early in the athletic season still exceed the temperature limit, which means teams must reschedule or take practice indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to be very flexible,” Valencia said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The law also requires all campuses with interscholastic sports to draw up an emergency action plan in case of sudden cardiac arrest, concussion or heat illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sanchez, who played volleyball from elementary through high school, crafted the law after learning about the numbers of sports-related traumas and deaths, said Griffin Bovée, her Capitol director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He cited a report by the \u003ca href=\"https://nccsir.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5614/2021/11/2020-Catastrophic-Report-AS-38th-AY2019-2020-FINAL.pdf\">National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury\u003c/a> that found 2,878 catastrophic injuries or illnesses in high school and college sports nationwide from 1982 to 2020. That’s about 75 catastrophic injuries or illnesses a year, including two football deaths each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The impetus for the bill was, unfortunately, many instances of student-athletes dying from heat stroke,” Bovée said. “Usually, the average is two per year who die while playing, which to the assemblywoman is two too many.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Preventing athletes’ deaths\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The Korey Stringer Institute, established in honor of the Minnesota Vikings lineman who died from heatstroke in 2001, wrote in support of Sanchez’s bill, citing heat illness as the third most common cause of school athletic deaths. The institute is at the University of Connecticut.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By far, the greatest number of heat-related deaths of high school athletes occurs in football, but basketball, track and field, and cross-country also had significant mortalities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why when temperatures rise, Perez limits runners to laps on the track or along the campus perimeter, where he can keep an eye on them, doubling down on water breaks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coaches and players say they try to strike a balance between avoiding dangerous heat and preparing for hot weather games. Without some heat conditioning during practice, they’re at risk of illness at competitions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the past, when it was really hot, we would still be outside for heat acclimation,” said cross-country team member Natalene Ocampo,15, a sophomore at Norte Vista High School. “But if it was way too hot outside, we would go in the weight room.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her teammate Liliana Rubalcalva, also a 15-year-old sophomore who is new to cross-country, said even the limited afternoon practices have been a challenge after her previous habit of solo night runs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Starting to run after school because of the heat, the first time I did it, I wasn’t able to do the entire practice,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006189\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1333px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_27.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006189\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_27.jpg\" alt=\"A young man wearing a red shirt and orange shorts runs next to a young man with a gray shirt around his neck outside.\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_27.jpg 1333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_27-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_27-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_27-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_27-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Senior Andrew Hernandez and junior Oscar Abad run along a bike path outside Norte Vista High School in Riverside. \u003ccite>(Carlin Stiehl/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Although athletic programs in the Inland Empire and other scorching parts of the state face slightly higher thresholds for heat restrictions than coastal areas, the rules can still leave them at a disadvantage, coaches said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Let’s say we have a couple weeks where it’s extremely hot, and we don’t get to practice during the week but play football on Friday night versus a school in Orange County that has had a full week of practice,” Valencia said, “if you’re not allowed to condition, that could potentially be an issue whether we could compete safely on Friday night.”[aside postID=\"news_11878134,news_12001249,science_1983475\" label=\"Related Stories\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To level the playing field, some coaches in extreme heat zones may ask the California Interscholastic Federation to move a sports season back a couple of weeks to avoid the most intense temperatures of summer and early fall, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, coaches are watching the wet bulb and pushing practices earlier in the morning and games later in the evening than usual.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We all love Friday night football games, but recently, we’ve had to see start times a lot later than we’re used to,” Valencia said. “But it’s all in the name of keeping our student-athletes safe.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "A change in California law has set new rules for when young athletes can play and practice in high temperatures, affecting schools and teams across the state.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1727210569,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 35,
"wordCount": 1423
},
"headData": {
"title": "How a New California Law Will Shield Student Athletes From Heat | KQED",
"description": "A change in California law has set new rules for when young athletes can play and practice in high temperatures, affecting schools and teams across the state.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "How a New California Law Will Shield Student Athletes From Heat",
"datePublished": "2024-09-25T07:30:15-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-24T13:42:49-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/deborah-brennan\">Deborah Brennan, \u003c/a>CalMatters",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12006176/how-a-new-california-law-will-shield-student-athletes-from-heat",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Football practice has always been something of an extreme sport in the Coachella Valley, where temperatures can flare far above 100 degrees for weeks on end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, a change in California law authored by an Inland Empire lawmaker requires extra monitoring of young athletes on the hottest days and sets strict guidelines for how and when they can play in extreme heat. The rules will affect high school athletics throughout the state and expand safety practices that schools in the desert have observed for years, said Estevan Valencia, athletic director at Palm Desert High.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been playing sports for over 100 years out here,” he said. “Our coaches and parents and kids have all grown up in this type of environment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coaches shift practice schedules to early morning or after sunset, he said, or they call for frequent water breaks and monitor athletes for signs of heat stress, such as red faces or dizziness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been doing this for a long time; now it’s just mandated and monitored,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Interscholastic Federation developed the rules to meet \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240ab1653\">standards set in the law\u003c/a> by \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/kate-sanchez-165419\">Assemblymember Kate Sanchez\u003c/a>, a Rancho Santa Margarita Republican whose district includes parts of western Riverside County. Though the law passed last year, the regulations took effect in July, in time for back-to-school sports and the recent heat wave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Rafael Perez, cross-country coach at Norte Vista High in Riverside, it means reigning in his students’ normally far-ranging runs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“On high heat days, we limit them to a smaller space so they can pause and have water breaks, rather than having them two miles out and having them have heat-related problems where they’re too far for any support,” Perez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Practice in the desert\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>As temperatures soared to 114 degrees in the Coachella Valley earlier this month, coaches moved practices to cooler times or indoors and vigilantly watched what is called the wet bulb, a handheld instrument at the heart of the new rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The wet bulb looks like a cell phone on steroids,” Valencia said. “We turn it on, and it gives us a reading of temperature, humidity and wind.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006190\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006190\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28.jpg\" alt=\"A young man wearing a gray shirt runs on the road.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_28-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Junior Isidro Leanos runs along a bike path outside Norte Vista High School in Riverside. \u003ccite>(Carlin Stiehl/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The device is designed to \u003ca href=\"https://koreystringer.institute.uconn.edu/wet-bulb-globe-temperature-monitoring/\">approximate the effect of heat on human bodies\u003c/a>, accounting for air movement, sunlight and evaporative cooling. At high humidity, a wet bulb reading will be at or near air temperature, but in dryer conditions, its temperature measurement drops, estimating the effect of evaporation. It was invented in the 1950s to protect Army and Marine Corps service members from heat illness, and it has been used in sports since then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006187\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006187\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15.jpg\" alt=\"The shadows of people on a sidewalk.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_-Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_15-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The shadows of students as they stretch before cross-country practice at Norte Vista High School in Riverside. \u003ccite>(Carlin Stiehl/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The wet bulb is a more universally accepted measurement for heat stress than standard readings of air temperature or a heat index, said Dave Gustafson, director of educational services for Desert Sands Unified School District, which includes Palm Desert High. “It’s a bit of a change from what we’ve been used to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006191\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006191\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30.jpg\" alt=\"Young people run along a bike path on dry land.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_30-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students run along a bike path outside of Norte Vista High School in Riverside. \u003ccite>(Carlin Stiehl/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The new rules flow from those readings, with escalating restrictions on sports practice and competition at higher wet bulb temperatures. The heat thresholds vary by geographic zone. Coastal areas are in Zone 1, with restrictions at lower temperatures than schools in Zone 2, which is slightly inland. Hotter and dryer inland areas — with the highest heat thresholds — are in Zone 3.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every school district in the Inland Empire falls in Zone 3.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Training in the hot zones\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>At the first heat threshold of 82.2 degrees Fahrenheit for Zone 3, coaches must provide more frequent water breaks. At the next heat level, football players must shed parts of their uniforms. As heat rises further, they’re forbidden to wear any protective gear. At the final heat level of 92.1 degrees Fahrenheit, outdoor practice is forbidden entirely for that zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That gives Zone 3 schools a little more leeway to hold hot weather practices than the other schools. However, many days early in the athletic season still exceed the temperature limit, which means teams must reschedule or take practice indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to be very flexible,” Valencia said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The law also requires all campuses with interscholastic sports to draw up an emergency action plan in case of sudden cardiac arrest, concussion or heat illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sanchez, who played volleyball from elementary through high school, crafted the law after learning about the numbers of sports-related traumas and deaths, said Griffin Bovée, her Capitol director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He cited a report by the \u003ca href=\"https://nccsir.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5614/2021/11/2020-Catastrophic-Report-AS-38th-AY2019-2020-FINAL.pdf\">National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury\u003c/a> that found 2,878 catastrophic injuries or illnesses in high school and college sports nationwide from 1982 to 2020. That’s about 75 catastrophic injuries or illnesses a year, including two football deaths each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The impetus for the bill was, unfortunately, many instances of student-athletes dying from heat stroke,” Bovée said. “Usually, the average is two per year who die while playing, which to the assemblywoman is two too many.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Preventing athletes’ deaths\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The Korey Stringer Institute, established in honor of the Minnesota Vikings lineman who died from heatstroke in 2001, wrote in support of Sanchez’s bill, citing heat illness as the third most common cause of school athletic deaths. The institute is at the University of Connecticut.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By far, the greatest number of heat-related deaths of high school athletes occurs in football, but basketball, track and field, and cross-country also had significant mortalities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why when temperatures rise, Perez limits runners to laps on the track or along the campus perimeter, where he can keep an eye on them, doubling down on water breaks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coaches and players say they try to strike a balance between avoiding dangerous heat and preparing for hot weather games. Without some heat conditioning during practice, they’re at risk of illness at competitions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the past, when it was really hot, we would still be outside for heat acclimation,” said cross-country team member Natalene Ocampo,15, a sophomore at Norte Vista High School. “But if it was way too hot outside, we would go in the weight room.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her teammate Liliana Rubalcalva, also a 15-year-old sophomore who is new to cross-country, said even the limited afternoon practices have been a challenge after her previous habit of solo night runs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Starting to run after school because of the heat, the first time I did it, I wasn’t able to do the entire practice,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006189\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1333px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_27.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006189\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_27.jpg\" alt=\"A young man wearing a red shirt and orange shorts runs next to a young man with a gray shirt around his neck outside.\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_27.jpg 1333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_27-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_27-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_27-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091924_Norte-Vista-High_CS_CM_27-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Senior Andrew Hernandez and junior Oscar Abad run along a bike path outside Norte Vista High School in Riverside. \u003ccite>(Carlin Stiehl/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Although athletic programs in the Inland Empire and other scorching parts of the state face slightly higher thresholds for heat restrictions than coastal areas, the rules can still leave them at a disadvantage, coaches said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Let’s say we have a couple weeks where it’s extremely hot, and we don’t get to practice during the week but play football on Friday night versus a school in Orange County that has had a full week of practice,” Valencia said, “if you’re not allowed to condition, that could potentially be an issue whether we could compete safely on Friday night.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_11878134,news_12001249,science_1983475",
"label": "Related Stories "
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To level the playing field, some coaches in extreme heat zones may ask the California Interscholastic Federation to move a sports season back a couple of weeks to avoid the most intense temperatures of summer and early fall, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, coaches are watching the wet bulb and pushing practices earlier in the morning and games later in the evening than usual.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We all love Friday night football games, but recently, we’ve had to see start times a lot later than we’re used to,” Valencia said. “But it’s all in the name of keeping our student-athletes safe.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12006176/how-a-new-california-law-will-shield-student-athletes-from-heat",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12006176"
],
"categories": [
"news_34165",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_29692",
"news_2231",
"news_21164",
"news_3457"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_12006188",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_12005909": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12005909",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12005909",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1727118029000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "critics-slam-weakened-california-lemon-car-law-after-secret-lobbyist-negotiations",
"title": "Critics Slam Weakened California Lemon Car Law After Secret Lobbyist Negotiations",
"publishDate": 1727118029,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Critics Slam Weakened California Lemon Car Law After Secret Lobbyist Negotiations | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Californians, for the past 54 years, have relied on the state’s “lemon law” to fight back against car makers that sell them defective vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, critics say Californians’ ability to recoup their money after buying a clunker could become more difficult due to a hastily passed bill that lobbyists representing U.S. auto manufacturers and powerful attorneys groups drafted in secret.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom hasn’t signed or vetoed \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240ab1755?slug=CA_202320240AB1755\">Assembly Bill 1755\u003c/a>. His spokesperson, Brandon Richards, on Friday, said, “The measure will be evaluated on its merits” before Newsom’s Sept. 30 bill-signing deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, how the bill came to end up on his desk is the latest example of how influential lobbying groups write laws impacting millions of Californians \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2024/09/california-secret-negotiations-public-transparency/\">behind closed doors\u003c/a> — and how the measures are often passed with little time for public input or legislative debate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There wasn’t a single person who represents the people of California who knew about this and was a part of those conversations — for months,” Democratic San Ramon Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/rebecca-bauer-kahan-165035\">Rebecca Bauer-Kahan\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258325?t=113&f=27f415691a3d4ffbbf92104f9edfdf67\">told her colleagues\u003c/a> on the Assembly Judiciary Committee last month in the final days of the legislative session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They dropped this in our lap, and they expect us to buy an argument related to the urgency that feels, to be honest, not real. And we’re supposed to move this in a week’s time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill seeks to address a massive uptick in lemon law lawsuits clogging the state’s court system, but it started out earlier in the session as a measure dealing with child support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005912\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005912\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19.jpg\" alt=\"A white woman wearing glasses and blue jacket stands in front of a podium with a microphone around other people.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan speaks in support of SCR 135, which would designate May 6, 2024, as California Holocaust Memorial Day, on the Assembly floor at the state Capitol in Sacramento on April 29, 2024. \u003ccite>(Miguel Gutierrez Jr./CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Then, on Aug. 20, with less than two weeks left in the session, the bill was stripped through the secretive “gut-and-amend” process. Its language was replaced with a 4,200-word bill that seeks to reform how lemon law disputes are resolved. The bill is so complicated its legislative analysis, which lawmakers should read to fully understand a measure’s consequences, was more than 10,000 words.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former Los Angeles Democratic Assemblymember Mike Gatto said it’s unlikely that lawmakers actually read all that in those final chaotic days of the session with hundreds of other consequential bills still pending.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, when the Legislature makes complex policy like that with great haste, it increases the reliance on non-elected personnel,” Gatto said. “And it increases the reliance on special interest groups who tell the legislators what the legislation contains. It’s very hard during that chaotic last week of session to, you know, be able to review things of great length like that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Downey Democratic Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/blanca-pacheco-165430\">Blanca Pacheco\u003c/a>, an attorney, told her Judiciary Committee colleagues she wasn’t comfortable voting for the bill because she wasn’t sure what it would do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want to make sure that consumers are protected as well,” \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258325?t=538&f=27f415691a3d4ffbbf92104f9edfdf67\">she said\u003c/a>. “Those are our constituents. And so that is what we really should be caring about. And I don’t know if consumers are really protected.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Lawmakers acknowledge secret negotiations\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The bill by two Democrats, Santa Ana Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/thomas-umberg-165043\">Tom Umberg\u003c/a> and San Jose Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/ash-kalra-100938\">Ash Kalra\u003c/a>, nonetheless easily passed the Assembly committee, as well as the full Assembly and Senate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Umberg’s office declined to answer CalMatters’ questions about the bill. Kalra’s office replied to an interview request with an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“AB 1755 went through the full legislative process with two robust committee hearings, consideration of amendments and all procedural steps,” Kalra said. “Despite concerns over process, the vast majority of members in both houses concluded this was a better policy for consumers, and we could build upon the policy framework in subsequent years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kalra acknowledged in his testimony that the measure was a product of negotiations between the groups behind the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“AB 1755 represents a compromise between the consumer attorneys, (civil) defense attorneys, and some auto manufacturers, most notably General Motors,” Kalra \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258325?t=155&f=d5d5e7534efe84ddc8b755c17e8567a7\">told the Assembly Judiciary Committee\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">Opposing the bill were Tesla and foreign auto companies, including Volkswagen and Toyota, as well as consumer groups such as the Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Auto Safety, and Consumers For Auto Reliability and Safety, according to \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Digital Democracy database\u003c/a>.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/roger-niello-165442\">Roger Niello\u003c/a>, a Republican whose family owns car dealerships in the Sacramento area, said he was troubled that the bill split groups that are typically aligned on legislation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My concern about this bill is the process by which it was developed,” Niello \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258323?t=489&f=fe04c4948aba1ade4929b21a525fc8cd\">told his colleagues\u003c/a> on the Senate floor. “And all you have to look at to question that is the support and opposition. This is very unusual. We don’t see this very often. … We have people, organizations from similar sources with opposite views on this. There’s something wrong with that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005913\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005913\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing a suit sits at a table with a microphone, laptop and name placard in front of him.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Assemblymember Ash Kalra at the state Capitol in Sacramento on June 13, 2023. \u003ccite>(Semantha Norris/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The alliances were unpredictable. Consumer attorneys fed up with clogged courts backed the bill, while consumer advocates opposed it. And while U.S. carmakers lobbied for it, foreign automakers argued it didn’t go far enough and was too friendly toward trial attorneys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Kalra and Umberg pitched their bill to lawmakers in those frantic, waning days of the session, they said AB 1755 would address a growing backlog of lemon law cases that have been increasingly causing havoc in the state’s civil court system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The number of lemon law cases in California courts climbed from nearly 15,000 filings in 2022 to more than 22,000 last year. In Los Angeles County, nearly 10% of all civil filings are now lemon law cases, according to the bill’s analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The growing caseload is driven by a handful of aggressive law firms that file most of the suits, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ocregister.com/2024/07/17/californias-lemon-law-a-sweet-deal-for-lawyers-sour-for-consumers/\">Civil Justice Association of California\u003c/a>. The association wasn’t listed as having a position on the bill in the \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/\">Digital Democracy database\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What it does is it reduces the number of filings, which I think logically would lead you to believe that it also reduces the amount of money spent on lawyers,” Umberg \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258323?t=286&f=fe04c4948aba1ade4929b21a525fc8cd\">told the Senate last month\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Judges Association also supported the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Will lemon law bill make it harder for vehicle owners?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Under the proposed law, starting next year, auto companies and car buyers would be required to try to settle their disputes through mediation before beginning the “discovery” process that takes place after a lawsuit is filed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Discovery is when the parties in a lawsuit gather evidence from each other that they think they’ll need to prove their case. The proposed law also sets rules for what evidence can be requested. One of the reasons the courts are so backlogged from lemon law cases is due to tedious discovery hearings, the bill’s advocates say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also would shorten the window during which a consumer can sue over a detective vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Umberg, a former federal prosecutor, and Kalra, a former public defender and law professor, told their colleagues that consumers would still be able to get their money back from a defective car. They argued that California’s lemon law, which Gov. Ronald Reagan signed in 1970, still would be stronger than that of any other state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Rosemary Shahan, president of \u003ca href=\"https://www.carconsumers.org/\">Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety\u003c/a>, said the bill would harm car owners stuck with a lemon vehicle in several ways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It would limit the amount of “negative equity” refunds consumers could get for their defective car, and it would shorten the period in which consumers can use the lemon law to just six years, even when their warranty lasts longer, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a big deal for folks who pay extra for a vehicle with a warranty from the manufacturer in order to avoid getting hit with a large unexpected repair bill,” she said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005914\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005914\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05.jpg\" alt=\"A white man wearing a suit stands at a podium with a microphone.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1355\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05-800x542.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05-1020x691.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05-1536x1041.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05-1920x1301.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California State Senator Thomas Umberg speaks before the Senate Judiciary Committee about SB1338, the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court Program, on April 26, 2022, in Sacramento. \u003ccite>(Fred Greaves/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The bill also would require that consumers notify their manufacturer in writing that their car is a lemon instead of just taking it into a dealer for repairs and starting the process of getting their money back there, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also would limit the amount of time a consumer can file a lemon lawsuit from four years after a claim is filed to just a year from the expiration of a vehicle’s warranty, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This would make it easier for unscrupulous auto manufacturers to get away with doing cheap ‘Band-Aid’ type repairs — instead of fixing the underlying problem — until the warranty expires,” leaving consumers on the hook for a massive bill, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill’s supporters include General Motors, Stellantis (formerly Chrysler) and Ford Motor Company, as well as RV manufacturers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Combined, Ford and GM have given sitting lawmakers at least $1.5 million since 2015, according to the Digital Democracy database.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Consumer Attorneys of California has given at least $2.2 million during the same period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill “addresses urgent procedural problems with how lemon law cases are handled in the state of California while keeping our lemon law the strongest in the nation,” Nancy Drabble, a lobbyist for Consumer Attorneys of California, \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258325?t=624&f=d5d5e7534efe84ddc8b755c17e8567a7\">told lawmakers last month\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She argued that the proposed revision would be an improvement for car buyers since it would shorten the window that auto companies must respond to a consumer complaint to just 30 days, and it would require car companies to fix a defective car or replace it within 30 days after that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think you will see an increase in buybacks of vehicles within that 60-day period, which will not even have a lawsuit filed,” lobbyist Michael Belote \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258325?t=803&f=d5d5e7534efe84ddc8b755c17e8567a7\">told lawmakers\u003c/a>, saying he represented GM.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>‘Transparency suffers’ when lawmakers rush\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In an interview on Friday, Belote said his lobbying firm also represents other parties involved in the negotiations, and he was speaking to CalMatters on those groups’ behalf — and not GM’s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Belote said he rejects “the premise that it watered down the lemon law.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said the law itself wouldn’t change. All the bill does, he said, is set clear rules for consumers and for auto companies that will reduce time-consuming court hearings, cut down on plaintiffs’ attorney fees and speed up the process of resolving disputes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is a strong reason to believe that this will get consumers what they need more quickly,” he said, “And what they need … is a car to get to work and get their kids to school.”[aside postID=\"news_12005433,news_12003239\" label=\"Related Stories\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But why the rush? Why not wait until January, when lawmakers reconvene for the new two-year session — when they could fully vet and debate the bill?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One reason was proponents had threatened to take their case to voters. Belote and Shahan said that as part of their proposed ballot initiative, the groups threatened to put a 20% cap on the fees lawyers could collect from lemon law cases, creating a financial incentive for the attorneys’ groups to negotiate with the car makers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Belote also disputed the suggestion that lawmakers didn’t know what they were voting on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was an enormous lobbying campaign on both sides that hit, I believe, every member of the Legislature repeatedly in a very short time,” he said. “There was, you know, really a tsunami of information for legislators who had lots of questions that were answered.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regardless of whether lawmakers fully grasped the issue, any time complicated legislation such as AB 1755 gets rushed through at the last minute, it harms the Legislature’s credibility and makes it harder for voters to trust their elected leaders, said Gatto, the former lawmaker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Transparency suffers,” he said, “And all the different stakeholders that keep the Legislature honest, whether it’s the electorate or the media, it makes it a lot harder for us to do our jobs.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "A bill awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature may make it harder for consumers to get refunds for defective cars under the state’s lemon law. The Legislature hastily passed the complicated bill, which auto manufacturers and attorneys drafted in secret. Did lawmakers even have time to read it?",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1728601003,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 54,
"wordCount": 2137
},
"headData": {
"title": "Critics Slam Weakened California Lemon Car Law After Secret Lobbyist Negotiations | KQED",
"description": "A bill awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature may make it harder for consumers to get refunds for defective cars under the state’s lemon law. The Legislature hastily passed the complicated bill, which auto manufacturers and attorneys drafted in secret. Did lawmakers even have time to read it?",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Critics Slam Weakened California Lemon Car Law After Secret Lobbyist Negotiations",
"datePublished": "2024-09-23T12:00:29-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-10-10T15:56:43-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/ryan-sabalow\">Ryan Sabalow, \u003c/a>CalMatters",
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12005909",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12005909/critics-slam-weakened-california-lemon-car-law-after-secret-lobbyist-negotiations",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Californians, for the past 54 years, have relied on the state’s “lemon law” to fight back against car makers that sell them defective vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, critics say Californians’ ability to recoup their money after buying a clunker could become more difficult due to a hastily passed bill that lobbyists representing U.S. auto manufacturers and powerful attorneys groups drafted in secret.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom hasn’t signed or vetoed \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240ab1755?slug=CA_202320240AB1755\">Assembly Bill 1755\u003c/a>. His spokesperson, Brandon Richards, on Friday, said, “The measure will be evaluated on its merits” before Newsom’s Sept. 30 bill-signing deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, how the bill came to end up on his desk is the latest example of how influential lobbying groups write laws impacting millions of Californians \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2024/09/california-secret-negotiations-public-transparency/\">behind closed doors\u003c/a> — and how the measures are often passed with little time for public input or legislative debate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There wasn’t a single person who represents the people of California who knew about this and was a part of those conversations — for months,” Democratic San Ramon Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/rebecca-bauer-kahan-165035\">Rebecca Bauer-Kahan\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258325?t=113&f=27f415691a3d4ffbbf92104f9edfdf67\">told her colleagues\u003c/a> on the Assembly Judiciary Committee last month in the final days of the legislative session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They dropped this in our lap, and they expect us to buy an argument related to the urgency that feels, to be honest, not real. And we’re supposed to move this in a week’s time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill seeks to address a massive uptick in lemon law lawsuits clogging the state’s court system, but it started out earlier in the session as a measure dealing with child support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005912\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005912\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19.jpg\" alt=\"A white woman wearing glasses and blue jacket stands in front of a podium with a microphone around other people.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/042924-State-Capitol-Session-MG-CM-19-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan speaks in support of SCR 135, which would designate May 6, 2024, as California Holocaust Memorial Day, on the Assembly floor at the state Capitol in Sacramento on April 29, 2024. \u003ccite>(Miguel Gutierrez Jr./CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Then, on Aug. 20, with less than two weeks left in the session, the bill was stripped through the secretive “gut-and-amend” process. Its language was replaced with a 4,200-word bill that seeks to reform how lemon law disputes are resolved. The bill is so complicated its legislative analysis, which lawmakers should read to fully understand a measure’s consequences, was more than 10,000 words.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former Los Angeles Democratic Assemblymember Mike Gatto said it’s unlikely that lawmakers actually read all that in those final chaotic days of the session with hundreds of other consequential bills still pending.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, when the Legislature makes complex policy like that with great haste, it increases the reliance on non-elected personnel,” Gatto said. “And it increases the reliance on special interest groups who tell the legislators what the legislation contains. It’s very hard during that chaotic last week of session to, you know, be able to review things of great length like that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Downey Democratic Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/blanca-pacheco-165430\">Blanca Pacheco\u003c/a>, an attorney, told her Judiciary Committee colleagues she wasn’t comfortable voting for the bill because she wasn’t sure what it would do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want to make sure that consumers are protected as well,” \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258325?t=538&f=27f415691a3d4ffbbf92104f9edfdf67\">she said\u003c/a>. “Those are our constituents. And so that is what we really should be caring about. And I don’t know if consumers are really protected.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Lawmakers acknowledge secret negotiations\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The bill by two Democrats, Santa Ana Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/thomas-umberg-165043\">Tom Umberg\u003c/a> and San Jose Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/ash-kalra-100938\">Ash Kalra\u003c/a>, nonetheless easily passed the Assembly committee, as well as the full Assembly and Senate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Umberg’s office declined to answer CalMatters’ questions about the bill. Kalra’s office replied to an interview request with an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“AB 1755 went through the full legislative process with two robust committee hearings, consideration of amendments and all procedural steps,” Kalra said. “Despite concerns over process, the vast majority of members in both houses concluded this was a better policy for consumers, and we could build upon the policy framework in subsequent years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kalra acknowledged in his testimony that the measure was a product of negotiations between the groups behind the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“AB 1755 represents a compromise between the consumer attorneys, (civil) defense attorneys, and some auto manufacturers, most notably General Motors,” Kalra \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258325?t=155&f=d5d5e7534efe84ddc8b755c17e8567a7\">told the Assembly Judiciary Committee\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">Opposing the bill were Tesla and foreign auto companies, including Volkswagen and Toyota, as well as consumer groups such as the Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Auto Safety, and Consumers For Auto Reliability and Safety, according to \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Digital Democracy database\u003c/a>.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/roger-niello-165442\">Roger Niello\u003c/a>, a Republican whose family owns car dealerships in the Sacramento area, said he was troubled that the bill split groups that are typically aligned on legislation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My concern about this bill is the process by which it was developed,” Niello \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258323?t=489&f=fe04c4948aba1ade4929b21a525fc8cd\">told his colleagues\u003c/a> on the Senate floor. “And all you have to look at to question that is the support and opposition. This is very unusual. We don’t see this very often. … We have people, organizations from similar sources with opposite views on this. There’s something wrong with that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005913\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005913\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing a suit sits at a table with a microphone, laptop and name placard in front of him.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/061323-ACA-5-Marriage-Equality_SN_CM_009-3-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Assemblymember Ash Kalra at the state Capitol in Sacramento on June 13, 2023. \u003ccite>(Semantha Norris/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The alliances were unpredictable. Consumer attorneys fed up with clogged courts backed the bill, while consumer advocates opposed it. And while U.S. carmakers lobbied for it, foreign automakers argued it didn’t go far enough and was too friendly toward trial attorneys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Kalra and Umberg pitched their bill to lawmakers in those frantic, waning days of the session, they said AB 1755 would address a growing backlog of lemon law cases that have been increasingly causing havoc in the state’s civil court system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The number of lemon law cases in California courts climbed from nearly 15,000 filings in 2022 to more than 22,000 last year. In Los Angeles County, nearly 10% of all civil filings are now lemon law cases, according to the bill’s analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The growing caseload is driven by a handful of aggressive law firms that file most of the suits, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ocregister.com/2024/07/17/californias-lemon-law-a-sweet-deal-for-lawyers-sour-for-consumers/\">Civil Justice Association of California\u003c/a>. The association wasn’t listed as having a position on the bill in the \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/\">Digital Democracy database\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What it does is it reduces the number of filings, which I think logically would lead you to believe that it also reduces the amount of money spent on lawyers,” Umberg \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258323?t=286&f=fe04c4948aba1ade4929b21a525fc8cd\">told the Senate last month\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Judges Association also supported the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Will lemon law bill make it harder for vehicle owners?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Under the proposed law, starting next year, auto companies and car buyers would be required to try to settle their disputes through mediation before beginning the “discovery” process that takes place after a lawsuit is filed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Discovery is when the parties in a lawsuit gather evidence from each other that they think they’ll need to prove their case. The proposed law also sets rules for what evidence can be requested. One of the reasons the courts are so backlogged from lemon law cases is due to tedious discovery hearings, the bill’s advocates say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also would shorten the window during which a consumer can sue over a detective vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Umberg, a former federal prosecutor, and Kalra, a former public defender and law professor, told their colleagues that consumers would still be able to get their money back from a defective car. They argued that California’s lemon law, which Gov. Ronald Reagan signed in 1970, still would be stronger than that of any other state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Rosemary Shahan, president of \u003ca href=\"https://www.carconsumers.org/\">Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety\u003c/a>, said the bill would harm car owners stuck with a lemon vehicle in several ways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It would limit the amount of “negative equity” refunds consumers could get for their defective car, and it would shorten the period in which consumers can use the lemon law to just six years, even when their warranty lasts longer, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a big deal for folks who pay extra for a vehicle with a warranty from the manufacturer in order to avoid getting hit with a large unexpected repair bill,” she said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005914\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005914\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05.jpg\" alt=\"A white man wearing a suit stands at a podium with a microphone.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1355\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05-800x542.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05-1020x691.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05-1536x1041.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/092024-Senate-Judiciary-FG-05-1920x1301.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California State Senator Thomas Umberg speaks before the Senate Judiciary Committee about SB1338, the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court Program, on April 26, 2022, in Sacramento. \u003ccite>(Fred Greaves/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The bill also would require that consumers notify their manufacturer in writing that their car is a lemon instead of just taking it into a dealer for repairs and starting the process of getting their money back there, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also would limit the amount of time a consumer can file a lemon lawsuit from four years after a claim is filed to just a year from the expiration of a vehicle’s warranty, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This would make it easier for unscrupulous auto manufacturers to get away with doing cheap ‘Band-Aid’ type repairs — instead of fixing the underlying problem — until the warranty expires,” leaving consumers on the hook for a massive bill, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill’s supporters include General Motors, Stellantis (formerly Chrysler) and Ford Motor Company, as well as RV manufacturers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Combined, Ford and GM have given sitting lawmakers at least $1.5 million since 2015, according to the Digital Democracy database.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Consumer Attorneys of California has given at least $2.2 million during the same period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill “addresses urgent procedural problems with how lemon law cases are handled in the state of California while keeping our lemon law the strongest in the nation,” Nancy Drabble, a lobbyist for Consumer Attorneys of California, \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258325?t=624&f=d5d5e7534efe84ddc8b755c17e8567a7\">told lawmakers last month\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She argued that the proposed revision would be an improvement for car buyers since it would shorten the window that auto companies must respond to a consumer complaint to just 30 days, and it would require car companies to fix a defective car or replace it within 30 days after that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think you will see an increase in buybacks of vehicles within that 60-day period, which will not even have a lawsuit filed,” lobbyist Michael Belote \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258325?t=803&f=d5d5e7534efe84ddc8b755c17e8567a7\">told lawmakers\u003c/a>, saying he represented GM.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>‘Transparency suffers’ when lawmakers rush\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In an interview on Friday, Belote said his lobbying firm also represents other parties involved in the negotiations, and he was speaking to CalMatters on those groups’ behalf — and not GM’s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Belote said he rejects “the premise that it watered down the lemon law.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said the law itself wouldn’t change. All the bill does, he said, is set clear rules for consumers and for auto companies that will reduce time-consuming court hearings, cut down on plaintiffs’ attorney fees and speed up the process of resolving disputes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is a strong reason to believe that this will get consumers what they need more quickly,” he said, “And what they need … is a car to get to work and get their kids to school.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12005433,news_12003239",
"label": "Related Stories "
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But why the rush? Why not wait until January, when lawmakers reconvene for the new two-year session — when they could fully vet and debate the bill?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One reason was proponents had threatened to take their case to voters. Belote and Shahan said that as part of their proposed ballot initiative, the groups threatened to put a 20% cap on the fees lawyers could collect from lemon law cases, creating a financial incentive for the attorneys’ groups to negotiate with the car makers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Belote also disputed the suggestion that lawmakers didn’t know what they were voting on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was an enormous lobbying campaign on both sides that hit, I believe, every member of the Legislature repeatedly in a very short time,” he said. “There was, you know, really a tsunami of information for legislators who had lots of questions that were answered.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regardless of whether lawmakers fully grasped the issue, any time complicated legislation such as AB 1755 gets rushed through at the last minute, it harms the Legislature’s credibility and makes it harder for voters to trust their elected leaders, said Gatto, the former lawmaker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Transparency suffers,” he said, “And all the different stakeholders that keep the Legislature honest, whether it’s the electorate or the media, it makes it a lot harder for us to do our jobs.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12005909/critics-slam-weakened-california-lemon-car-law-after-secret-lobbyist-negotiations",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12005909"
],
"categories": [
"news_8",
"news_13"
],
"tags": [
"news_34558",
"news_1202",
"news_2960",
"news_17968"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_12005911",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_12005515": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12005515",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12005515",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1727026240000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "california-drivers-can-get-mobile-licenses-on-their-iphones-but-they-need-physical-ones-too",
"title": "California Drivers Can Get Mobile Licenses on Their iPhones — But They Need Physical Ones Too",
"publishDate": 1727026240,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "California Drivers Can Get Mobile Licenses on Their iPhones — But They Need Physical Ones Too | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Apple launched California identity cards and driver’s licenses for iPhones on Thursday, making the digital IDs easier to present — but for now they are only accepted at select airports and a small number of businesses selling age-restricted items such as alcohol, tobacco, fireworks, or guns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers are still legally required to carry their physical licenses, even if they get a digital one. And they cannot use digital licenses at offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles, which issues them, since the agency only accepts them online, through an app.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the near future, however, use of digital IDs are expected to spread both in government and the private sector, with sales terminals rolling out to enable more stores to accept them, more California state agencies accepting them, and the Biden administration urging the federal government to do the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apple vice president Jennifer Bailey called the launch “an important milestone in the rollout of IDs in Apple Wallet” in a press release issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Smartphones that operate on Google’s Android operating system got the ability to add a California ID or driver’s license to Google Wallet \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/08/23/californians-can-now-add-their-mobile-drivers-license-to-google-wallet/\">last month\u003c/a>. California is the fifth state to get Google Wallet identification and seventh state to get Apple Wallet identification.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Few businesses and virtually no state agencies make use of mobile ID to verify identity, but that’s changing fast. Verifone, whose sales terminals accept payments from Apple or Google smartphones, is working with the California DMV and the company TruAge to make in-person age verification commonplace at businesses throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s only a handful of them available in the state today but the plan is for several thousand to be rolled out in the very near future,” mostly by merchants, said DMV Director Steven Gordon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Digital IDs also work online. Apple started allowing apps such as rental car service Turo to verify people’s age with digital IDs last year and Google’s Chrome web browser started testing its \u003ca href=\"https://developer.chrome.com/blog/digital-credentials-api-origin-trial\">Digital Credential API\u003c/a> for verifying identities online last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Californians could carry digital IDs on smartphones previously but only by installing additional software; the state last year launched the California DMV Wallet app on Apple and Google devices. The app and new wallet integration are part of the state’s \u003ca href=\"https://digitalidstrategy.cdt.ca.gov/index.html\">digital ID strategy\u003c/a>, which includes plans to follow a \u003ca href=\"https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-3/\">federal standard\u003c/a> for remote verification of a person’s identity and to integrate with Login.gov, an identity and sign-on service that has been adopted by more than 50 federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Homeland Security. Login.gov \u003ca href=\"https://www.gsa.gov/blog/2024/08/26/gsas-logingov-expands-services-into-states\">started working with state governments in 2022 and expanded those offerings last month\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Biden administration is \u003ca href=\"https://www.notus.org/technology/digital-drivers-licenses-biden-supercharge-transition\">reportedly working on an executive order\u003c/a> that aims to reduce fraudulent benefit claims by accelerating this integration, pushing more state governments to adopt digital driver’s licenses and IDs and requiring all federal agencies to use Login.gov. Apple and Google declined to answer when asked if they’re part of talks to draft language in the executive order.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Curbing AI with digital IDs\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For now, though, adoption is limited: The California DMV is the only California agency that accepts mobile identification cards — and even then only digitally — and the Transportation Security Administration is the only federal agency that accepts them, when screening passengers at roughly\u003ca href=\"https://www.tsa.gov/travel/digital-id/map#LAX\"> 25 airports nationwide, including Los Angeles and San Francisco international airports.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do hope that we’re going to be able to find a sister agency at the state level to start using this,” said Gordon, who previously worked at tech company Cisco Systems and\u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article235152082.html\"> oversaw DMV modernization efforts\u003c/a> during the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Department of Technology, which created the state’s digital ID strategy, is working on integrating the strategy and one of its key components, the “Identity Gateway,” with state services, including transit discount programs and eligibility verification for programs like \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2023/06/california-food-benefits/\">CalFresh\u003c/a> food benefits and veteran services. The ultimate goal, department spokesperson Bob Andosca told CalMatters, is to begin pushing state agencies to adopt digital IDs in the near future in order to allow Californians to “access all state services through one digital ID system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to speeding access to government services, remote identity verification with digital IDs and services like Login.gov or California’s Identity Gateway can reduce the number of private tech companies state governments interact with. That potentially includes less reliance on artificial intelligence software.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://epic.org/new-epic-report-delves-into-state-ai-procurement/\">September 2023 analysis\u003c/a> by the group Electronic Privacy Information Center found that roughly half of AI contracts signed by state agencies involve fraud detection. In the most high profile case to date, the California Employment Development Department wrongfully denied unemployment benefits to at least 600,000 people because AI provided by Thomson Reuters \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2024/03/california-ai-purchasing-guidelines/\">falsely identified their claims as fraudulent\u003c/a>. Digital IDs allow state agencies to verify that people are who they say they are when they apply for benefits online, potentially eliminating the need for fraud detection tools like the one used by EDD.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State-issued IDs for iPhones were first introduced in 2021 and are now available in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, and Ohio. The IDs are also in the works for eight additional states and their use expands to Japan, the first country outside the U.S., next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apple and state officials have tried to make the process of adding a digital ID relatively simple. To add an ID card or driver’s license to your Apple Wallet, launch the Wallet app and then tap the plus button in the top right corner. Then take a picture of the front and back of your physical ID card or driver’s license. You will then be prompted to do a series of face and head movements, allowing your smartphone to scan your face to match it to the picture on your ID card. After your phone does its facial matching, the state needs to do its own, so you will be prompted to take a selfie that gets encrypted and sent to the DMV for a face recognition search of a database containing photos of ID cards and licenses. The state also receives a fraud \u003ca href=\"https://support.apple.com/en-us/118260\">score\u003c/a> from Apple based on how a person uses their iPhone and the settings they choose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once it’s set up, smartphone IDs promise to be easier to use than physical ones. To present one, hold your phone near a reader at a government facility (like the airport or DMV) or at a private business (like a liquor store) to establish a connection between the reader and your phone. Then a prompt pops up on the phone showing what information the other party is requesting, such as date of birth and legal name. You approve the exchange by authenticating on the device (via face or fingerprint scan or with your passcode) and your identifying information is then shared. A history of such exchanges is stored on your smartphone and is not made available to Apple or the state authority that issued the device, \u003ca href=\"https://support.apple.com/en-us/118260\">according to Apple\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Until mobile IDs are more widely accepted, the DMV still recommends that you carry a physical ID card. If drivers don’t carry physical licenses with them, they’re \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=12951&lawCode=VEH\">breaking the law\u003c/a>, said California Highway Patrol spokesperson Jaime Coffee.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>New privacy worries as digital ID acceptance grows in California\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California’s previous mobile ID technology, the DMV smartphone app, is currently used by more than half a million people. The app can not only present a mobile ID but also read one, including the new ones from Apple and Google wallets, through the included \u003ca href=\"https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/ca-dmv-wallet/mdl-reader/\">ID reader\u003c/a>, used to verify a person’s identity, age, or driving privileges. Apple also offers a reader for mobile IDs that are on iPhones or Android devices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ID reader is the only way DMV currently accepts digital IDs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the hope, DMV director DMV director Gordon said, is that Apple and Google offering digital IDs in California leads more citizens to carry them and more stores and financial institutions to accept them, both in person and online.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also thinks digital IDs can improve access to state and local government services by allowing people to do things such as verify their identity when signing on to websites to pay taxes. He envisions DMV employees in the field handing out mobile IDs on the spot to homeless people in order to quickly replace lost ID cards, allowing them access to government services they would otherwise be locked out of. He also thinks mobile IDs can make life safer for the public and police alike with wireless ID sharing during traffic stops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The DMV is \u003ca href=\"https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/news-and-media/dmv-to-host-community-hackathons-to-facilitate-additional-uses-for-mobile-drivers-license/\">hosting hackathons in Silicon Valley in October and November\u003c/a> to explore different ways to use digital IDs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For all their promise, the new IDs also raise new privacy concerns. Electronic Frontier Foundation director of engineering Alexis Hancock \u003ca href=\"https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/decoding-california-dmvs-mobile-drivers-license\">criticized California’s DMV Wallet app earlier this year for a lack of protections to control what information you share\u003c/a>. Such protections would, for example, allow a person buying beer to digitally verify that they are over 21 but not share their address with the store.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hancock thinks it’s imperative that lawmakers put rules into place governing the use of mobile IDs. One example: banning the creation of databases that track a person’s movement wherever identification or age verification takes place — databases that don’t exist today but which could conceivably be enabled by digital IDs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That kind of list and potential surveillance could impact a lot of people in states where it’s become common to verify age before gaining access to adult content. The California Legislature this year \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240ab3080\">failed to pass a bill\u003c/a> that would have made it illegal to store, retain, or share information obtained when verifying a person’s age or track their online activity. But the bill also would have required businesses that sell things such as fireworks, spray paint or pornography to verify a person’s age. Some privacy advocates opposed the law, but more than 20 U.S. states have considered age verification laws, \u003ca href=\"https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/\">according to the Free Speech Coalition\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apple and Google generally employ strong security protections, Hancock said, and it’s in their economic interest to do so, but “you can’t just trust companies at their word to not try to exploit that (sort of information). We have learned that lesson multiple times in the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My general worry around these programs,” she continued, “hinges on the fact that what happens when you present such information so freely, and the more frequently you present this information digitally, the greater the chance of said information being leaked in some sort of way, shape, or fashion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hancock is also concerned about agreements signed between tech providers and state agencies. A review of \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/14/apple-sticking-taxpayers-with-part-of-the-bill-for-digital-id-rollout.html\">contracts between Apple and Georgia and Arizona \u003c/a>by CNBC concluded that the company exerts a high degree of control over state government agencies, requiring them to provide digital ID cards free of charge and pay for systems used to issue digital ID credentials. Similar provisions are found in agreements between tech giants and the state of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following a public records request, CalMatters obtained a memorandum of understanding signed in 2022 by an Apple executive and Digital ID program director Greg Fair, a California Department of Technology employee. That agreement requires the government to pay for staff and computer systems necessary to maintain Apple Wallet ID cards. It also requires the state to treat digital IDs the same as physical ones, tells the government how to market digital IDs, and makes the state offer a digital option when people get a new ID or replace a lost or stolen one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A subsequent contract signed in August 2023 requires the state supply Apple with monthly reports. The contents of those reports are unknown since this portion of the contract is redacted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Google contract signed in July also details continuing work on new features such as selective disclosure, getting an ID without the possession of a physical card, sharing an ID across devices, and “adding multiple credentials (such as for a parent and child).”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both contracts state that Apple and Google will not share information about someone with third parties, including law enforcement, without the person’s consent. They also state that both companies will work with state agencies to prevent fraudulent ID issuance and report suspected instances of digital ID fraud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After reviewing the documents, Hancock said the contents confirm her fear that the state gives too much control to Apple by agreeing to do things such as suggest a digital option when people renew their physical driver’s license and give Apple prior approval power over marketing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11960234\" label=\"Related Story\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They [Apple] steer the shift of public perception around digital ID,” she said. “A lot of communications about how this gets presented to California citizens is controlled by Apple.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both the DMV and Login.gov have histories of making mistakes when attempting to modernize government services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, a federal Government Services Administration investigation found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.wired.com/story/a-us-agency-rejected-face-recognition-and-landed-in-big-trouble/\">Login.gov misled other government agencies\u003c/a> to believe it complied with a federal remote identity verification standard. It hadn’t, according to a former director of Login.gov, due to concern of the technology’s discriminatory impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the California DMV, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-california-motor-voter-problems-investigation-20190409-story.html\">2019 \u003cem>Los Angeles Times\u003c/em> investigation\u003c/a> found problems during rollout of a voter registration program paired with vehicle registration. Among them: the DMV inadvertently shared personal information and 100,000 inaccurate documents with local election officials across the state of California.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "California is the seventh US state to adopt mobile driver’s licenses for iPhones, part of a growing push by businesses and governments to make digital IDs commonplace.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1726967495,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 42,
"wordCount": 2342
},
"headData": {
"title": "California Drivers Can Get Mobile Licenses on Their iPhones — But They Need Physical Ones Too | KQED",
"description": "California is the seventh US state to adopt mobile driver’s licenses for iPhones, part of a growing push by businesses and governments to make digital IDs commonplace.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "California Drivers Can Get Mobile Licenses on Their iPhones — But They Need Physical Ones Too",
"datePublished": "2024-09-22T10:30:40-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-21T18:11:35-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/khari-johnson\">Khari Johnson, \u003c/a>CalMatters",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12005515/california-drivers-can-get-mobile-licenses-on-their-iphones-but-they-need-physical-ones-too",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Apple launched California identity cards and driver’s licenses for iPhones on Thursday, making the digital IDs easier to present — but for now they are only accepted at select airports and a small number of businesses selling age-restricted items such as alcohol, tobacco, fireworks, or guns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers are still legally required to carry their physical licenses, even if they get a digital one. And they cannot use digital licenses at offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles, which issues them, since the agency only accepts them online, through an app.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the near future, however, use of digital IDs are expected to spread both in government and the private sector, with sales terminals rolling out to enable more stores to accept them, more California state agencies accepting them, and the Biden administration urging the federal government to do the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apple vice president Jennifer Bailey called the launch “an important milestone in the rollout of IDs in Apple Wallet” in a press release issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Smartphones that operate on Google’s Android operating system got the ability to add a California ID or driver’s license to Google Wallet \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/08/23/californians-can-now-add-their-mobile-drivers-license-to-google-wallet/\">last month\u003c/a>. California is the fifth state to get Google Wallet identification and seventh state to get Apple Wallet identification.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Few businesses and virtually no state agencies make use of mobile ID to verify identity, but that’s changing fast. Verifone, whose sales terminals accept payments from Apple or Google smartphones, is working with the California DMV and the company TruAge to make in-person age verification commonplace at businesses throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s only a handful of them available in the state today but the plan is for several thousand to be rolled out in the very near future,” mostly by merchants, said DMV Director Steven Gordon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Digital IDs also work online. Apple started allowing apps such as rental car service Turo to verify people’s age with digital IDs last year and Google’s Chrome web browser started testing its \u003ca href=\"https://developer.chrome.com/blog/digital-credentials-api-origin-trial\">Digital Credential API\u003c/a> for verifying identities online last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Californians could carry digital IDs on smartphones previously but only by installing additional software; the state last year launched the California DMV Wallet app on Apple and Google devices. The app and new wallet integration are part of the state’s \u003ca href=\"https://digitalidstrategy.cdt.ca.gov/index.html\">digital ID strategy\u003c/a>, which includes plans to follow a \u003ca href=\"https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-3/\">federal standard\u003c/a> for remote verification of a person’s identity and to integrate with Login.gov, an identity and sign-on service that has been adopted by more than 50 federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Homeland Security. Login.gov \u003ca href=\"https://www.gsa.gov/blog/2024/08/26/gsas-logingov-expands-services-into-states\">started working with state governments in 2022 and expanded those offerings last month\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Biden administration is \u003ca href=\"https://www.notus.org/technology/digital-drivers-licenses-biden-supercharge-transition\">reportedly working on an executive order\u003c/a> that aims to reduce fraudulent benefit claims by accelerating this integration, pushing more state governments to adopt digital driver’s licenses and IDs and requiring all federal agencies to use Login.gov. Apple and Google declined to answer when asked if they’re part of talks to draft language in the executive order.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Curbing AI with digital IDs\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For now, though, adoption is limited: The California DMV is the only California agency that accepts mobile identification cards — and even then only digitally — and the Transportation Security Administration is the only federal agency that accepts them, when screening passengers at roughly\u003ca href=\"https://www.tsa.gov/travel/digital-id/map#LAX\"> 25 airports nationwide, including Los Angeles and San Francisco international airports.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do hope that we’re going to be able to find a sister agency at the state level to start using this,” said Gordon, who previously worked at tech company Cisco Systems and\u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article235152082.html\"> oversaw DMV modernization efforts\u003c/a> during the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Department of Technology, which created the state’s digital ID strategy, is working on integrating the strategy and one of its key components, the “Identity Gateway,” with state services, including transit discount programs and eligibility verification for programs like \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2023/06/california-food-benefits/\">CalFresh\u003c/a> food benefits and veteran services. The ultimate goal, department spokesperson Bob Andosca told CalMatters, is to begin pushing state agencies to adopt digital IDs in the near future in order to allow Californians to “access all state services through one digital ID system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to speeding access to government services, remote identity verification with digital IDs and services like Login.gov or California’s Identity Gateway can reduce the number of private tech companies state governments interact with. That potentially includes less reliance on artificial intelligence software.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://epic.org/new-epic-report-delves-into-state-ai-procurement/\">September 2023 analysis\u003c/a> by the group Electronic Privacy Information Center found that roughly half of AI contracts signed by state agencies involve fraud detection. In the most high profile case to date, the California Employment Development Department wrongfully denied unemployment benefits to at least 600,000 people because AI provided by Thomson Reuters \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2024/03/california-ai-purchasing-guidelines/\">falsely identified their claims as fraudulent\u003c/a>. Digital IDs allow state agencies to verify that people are who they say they are when they apply for benefits online, potentially eliminating the need for fraud detection tools like the one used by EDD.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State-issued IDs for iPhones were first introduced in 2021 and are now available in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, and Ohio. The IDs are also in the works for eight additional states and their use expands to Japan, the first country outside the U.S., next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apple and state officials have tried to make the process of adding a digital ID relatively simple. To add an ID card or driver’s license to your Apple Wallet, launch the Wallet app and then tap the plus button in the top right corner. Then take a picture of the front and back of your physical ID card or driver’s license. You will then be prompted to do a series of face and head movements, allowing your smartphone to scan your face to match it to the picture on your ID card. After your phone does its facial matching, the state needs to do its own, so you will be prompted to take a selfie that gets encrypted and sent to the DMV for a face recognition search of a database containing photos of ID cards and licenses. The state also receives a fraud \u003ca href=\"https://support.apple.com/en-us/118260\">score\u003c/a> from Apple based on how a person uses their iPhone and the settings they choose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once it’s set up, smartphone IDs promise to be easier to use than physical ones. To present one, hold your phone near a reader at a government facility (like the airport or DMV) or at a private business (like a liquor store) to establish a connection between the reader and your phone. Then a prompt pops up on the phone showing what information the other party is requesting, such as date of birth and legal name. You approve the exchange by authenticating on the device (via face or fingerprint scan or with your passcode) and your identifying information is then shared. A history of such exchanges is stored on your smartphone and is not made available to Apple or the state authority that issued the device, \u003ca href=\"https://support.apple.com/en-us/118260\">according to Apple\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Until mobile IDs are more widely accepted, the DMV still recommends that you carry a physical ID card. If drivers don’t carry physical licenses with them, they’re \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=12951&lawCode=VEH\">breaking the law\u003c/a>, said California Highway Patrol spokesperson Jaime Coffee.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>New privacy worries as digital ID acceptance grows in California\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California’s previous mobile ID technology, the DMV smartphone app, is currently used by more than half a million people. The app can not only present a mobile ID but also read one, including the new ones from Apple and Google wallets, through the included \u003ca href=\"https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/ca-dmv-wallet/mdl-reader/\">ID reader\u003c/a>, used to verify a person’s identity, age, or driving privileges. Apple also offers a reader for mobile IDs that are on iPhones or Android devices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ID reader is the only way DMV currently accepts digital IDs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the hope, DMV director DMV director Gordon said, is that Apple and Google offering digital IDs in California leads more citizens to carry them and more stores and financial institutions to accept them, both in person and online.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also thinks digital IDs can improve access to state and local government services by allowing people to do things such as verify their identity when signing on to websites to pay taxes. He envisions DMV employees in the field handing out mobile IDs on the spot to homeless people in order to quickly replace lost ID cards, allowing them access to government services they would otherwise be locked out of. He also thinks mobile IDs can make life safer for the public and police alike with wireless ID sharing during traffic stops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The DMV is \u003ca href=\"https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/news-and-media/dmv-to-host-community-hackathons-to-facilitate-additional-uses-for-mobile-drivers-license/\">hosting hackathons in Silicon Valley in October and November\u003c/a> to explore different ways to use digital IDs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For all their promise, the new IDs also raise new privacy concerns. Electronic Frontier Foundation director of engineering Alexis Hancock \u003ca href=\"https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/decoding-california-dmvs-mobile-drivers-license\">criticized California’s DMV Wallet app earlier this year for a lack of protections to control what information you share\u003c/a>. Such protections would, for example, allow a person buying beer to digitally verify that they are over 21 but not share their address with the store.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hancock thinks it’s imperative that lawmakers put rules into place governing the use of mobile IDs. One example: banning the creation of databases that track a person’s movement wherever identification or age verification takes place — databases that don’t exist today but which could conceivably be enabled by digital IDs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That kind of list and potential surveillance could impact a lot of people in states where it’s become common to verify age before gaining access to adult content. The California Legislature this year \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240ab3080\">failed to pass a bill\u003c/a> that would have made it illegal to store, retain, or share information obtained when verifying a person’s age or track their online activity. But the bill also would have required businesses that sell things such as fireworks, spray paint or pornography to verify a person’s age. Some privacy advocates opposed the law, but more than 20 U.S. states have considered age verification laws, \u003ca href=\"https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/\">according to the Free Speech Coalition\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apple and Google generally employ strong security protections, Hancock said, and it’s in their economic interest to do so, but “you can’t just trust companies at their word to not try to exploit that (sort of information). We have learned that lesson multiple times in the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My general worry around these programs,” she continued, “hinges on the fact that what happens when you present such information so freely, and the more frequently you present this information digitally, the greater the chance of said information being leaked in some sort of way, shape, or fashion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hancock is also concerned about agreements signed between tech providers and state agencies. A review of \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/14/apple-sticking-taxpayers-with-part-of-the-bill-for-digital-id-rollout.html\">contracts between Apple and Georgia and Arizona \u003c/a>by CNBC concluded that the company exerts a high degree of control over state government agencies, requiring them to provide digital ID cards free of charge and pay for systems used to issue digital ID credentials. Similar provisions are found in agreements between tech giants and the state of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following a public records request, CalMatters obtained a memorandum of understanding signed in 2022 by an Apple executive and Digital ID program director Greg Fair, a California Department of Technology employee. That agreement requires the government to pay for staff and computer systems necessary to maintain Apple Wallet ID cards. It also requires the state to treat digital IDs the same as physical ones, tells the government how to market digital IDs, and makes the state offer a digital option when people get a new ID or replace a lost or stolen one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A subsequent contract signed in August 2023 requires the state supply Apple with monthly reports. The contents of those reports are unknown since this portion of the contract is redacted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Google contract signed in July also details continuing work on new features such as selective disclosure, getting an ID without the possession of a physical card, sharing an ID across devices, and “adding multiple credentials (such as for a parent and child).”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both contracts state that Apple and Google will not share information about someone with third parties, including law enforcement, without the person’s consent. They also state that both companies will work with state agencies to prevent fraudulent ID issuance and report suspected instances of digital ID fraud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After reviewing the documents, Hancock said the contents confirm her fear that the state gives too much control to Apple by agreeing to do things such as suggest a digital option when people renew their physical driver’s license and give Apple prior approval power over marketing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_11960234",
"label": "Related Story "
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They [Apple] steer the shift of public perception around digital ID,” she said. “A lot of communications about how this gets presented to California citizens is controlled by Apple.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both the DMV and Login.gov have histories of making mistakes when attempting to modernize government services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, a federal Government Services Administration investigation found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.wired.com/story/a-us-agency-rejected-face-recognition-and-landed-in-big-trouble/\">Login.gov misled other government agencies\u003c/a> to believe it complied with a federal remote identity verification standard. It hadn’t, according to a former director of Login.gov, due to concern of the technology’s discriminatory impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the California DMV, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-california-motor-voter-problems-investigation-20190409-story.html\">2019 \u003cem>Los Angeles Times\u003c/em> investigation\u003c/a> found problems during rollout of a voter registration program paired with vehicle registration. Among them: the DMV inadvertently shared personal information and 100,000 inaccurate documents with local election officials across the state of California.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12005515/california-drivers-can-get-mobile-licenses-on-their-iphones-but-they-need-physical-ones-too",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12005515"
],
"categories": [
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_19182",
"news_2704",
"news_17636",
"news_17940",
"news_610"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_12005544",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_12005718": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12005718",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12005718",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1726948800000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "career-education-is-redundant-and-convoluted-gavin-newsom-says-hell-fix-it",
"title": "Can Newsom's Master Plan for Career Education Fix an Outdated and Complicated System?",
"publishDate": 1726948800,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Can Newsom’s Master Plan for Career Education Fix an Outdated and Complicated System? | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>The town of Reedley has about 25,000 people — and five different public institutions that offer career education to its residents. There’s the high school, the adult school, the community college, the job center and the regional occupational program. In some cases, they work together to teach skills, such as welding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other times, they compete for the same students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258242\">a hearing\u003c/a> last month, California Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/al-muratsuchi-34399\">Al Muratsuchi\u003c/a>, a Democrat from Torrance, said that he worries some workforce programs are becoming increasingly “Balkanized” despite numerous efforts to promote collaboration. Gov. Gavin Newsom said he’ll help unify these programs by creating \u003ca href=\"https://careereducation.gov.ca.gov/\">a Master Plan for Career Education\u003c/a>. State agencies are required to create the plan by Oct. 1, though Newsom hasn’t said when he’ll release it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Reedley College in rural Fresno County, Dean of Instruction David Clark acknowledged that some programs compete — in other parts of the state — but said that in this small town, that issue is less relevant. “In Fresno, you might flip someone off and never see them again, but here, that’s your neighbor,” said Clark. Instead, he said, local workforce leaders in Reedley have close personal relationships with one another and collaborate frequently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s more, he said that each institution serves a different population: Historically, community colleges focused on high school graduates, providing them with vocational training or a pathway to a four-year university. Adult schools offered short-term courses, such as English as a second language, often to immigrants and older adults. Regional occupational programs arose as a way to help high schools consolidate and coordinate expensive career training classes. Job centers were a place for adults to get help finding work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To some extent, that’s all still true, but over the past few decades, the lines have blurred. High school students are taking college-level classes at growing rates. More than 40% of community college students in California are 25 and older, according to data from the Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, and the system is investing \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/09/community-college-enrollment-3/#:~:text=Losing%20the%20%E2%80%98drive%E2%80%99%20for%20community%20college\">in short-term classes\u003c/a> that rival the courses at many adult schools. While job centers once placed people directly in jobs, they’re now facing \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2024/08/job-training-california-for-profit-schools/#:~:text=How%20the%20law%20helped%20for%2Dprofit%20job%20training%20schools\">a push\u003c/a> from state and federal leaders to send jobseekers back to school to earn better long-term wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005746\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005746\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_10-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_10-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_10-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_10-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_10-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Instructor David Tikkanen shows student Francisco Fernandez how to work on an engine lathe when shaving a metal rod. \u003ccite>(Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The state’s existing higher education plan is from 1960 and “was designed to serve a very different California,” wrote Elana Ross, a spokesperson for the governor, in an emailed statement. She said the “current budgetary conditions” — namely, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/california-budget-whiplash/\">two years of multibillion-dollar deficits\u003c/a> — “call us to work together more effectively.” The office refused to speak to CalMatters in an on-the-record interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the hearing, Muratsuchi said he’s skeptical that the governor’s new plan will yield substantive changes to this convoluted system. “These are the same agencies that have failed to collaborate,” he said. “Why do we expect different results?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Redundancy’ in Reedley\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Clark has lived in Reedley for 35 years, and as he walks around the community college campus, he shares the town lore with pride. In 2002, the town voted against the construction of a Walmart. The town doesn’t have a movie theater or a mall either, he said. “People have tried to maintain that Norman Rockwell lifestyle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t always reflect reality — Walmart, for instance, built a location just 5 miles away, in the town next door — but Clark said that Reedley is still more vibrant than some of the other rural towns in the Central Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reason is agriculture: It’s the “world’s fruit basket,” according to the town’s chamber of commerce. Reedley specializes in growing and shipping stone fruit such as peaches, plums and nectarines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005744\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005744\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_01-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_01-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_01-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_01-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_01-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students measure part of a tractor engine in their agricultural mechanics class at Reedley College. \u003ccite>(Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For the roughly 7,500 Reedley College students taking a career technical education class, the most popular programs are in agriculture and manufacturing, which overlap considerably, said Clark. Classes in health care, such as those for nursing assistants, are another common path, especially for women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a series of large classrooms, each one as big as a warehouse, college students learn how to repair tractor engines, how to weld the pieces of a truck bed, and how to create the metal pieces used in food packaging machines. Some equipment, such as machines for metal cutting, can cost the school over a million dollars per device. Most of the training for nursing assistants takes place at a retirement home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On certain days, the college shares these classrooms with the Valley Regional Occupational Program so it can run its own manufacturing courses for high school students. By using some of the same facilities, the high school saves money and helps introduce students to college, said Fabrizio Lofaro, superintendent of the occupational program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, for welding courses, which are more popular, the high school has its own facilities and offers less advanced courses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005721\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005721\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_16-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_16-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_16-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_16-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_16-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The workstations for a welding class at Reedley High School. \u003ccite>(Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At night and on weekends, the regional occupational program works with a different institution, Kings Canyon Adult School, to offer another set of welding classes focused on working adults.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Noe Mendoza, the learning director of the adult school, acknowledged some “redundancy,” especially with the community college. What makes adult schools different, he said, is that they’re accessible for adults who lack a high school degree or who need short-term, career-oriented training.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re field workers, or they’re working in the warehouses, the cold storages, and they want something different,” said Mendoza. “If it’s given here, it seems more attainable, even though it’s the same class.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Community college leaders, however, insist that their courses are accessible too. In June, state leaders announced \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2024/06/high-school-diploma/\">a policy change\u003c/a> meant to draw adults without high school degrees toward college. Since the start of the pandemic, community colleges have spent \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/08/california-community-colleges-2/\">millions of dollars recruiting older adults\u003c/a> by offering shorter classes and career-oriented programs — sometimes reaching out directly to farmworkers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Five different entities competing for students and money\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Community colleges and adult schools have long competed for students. In the 1990s, the issue came to the fore when six Southern California school districts \u003ca href=\"https://casetext.com/case/orange-unified-sch-v-rancho-santiago-comm-col\">sued their local community colleges\u003c/a>, saying that the colleges had overstepped their boundaries by teaching certain classes, such as high school equivalency courses or English as a second language. The judge found that both systems had a right to teach these classes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit is emblematic of long-standing duplication and conflict in adult education: \u003ca href=\"https://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2012/edu/adult-education/restructuring-adult-education-120412.aspx\">A 2012 report\u003c/a> by California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office found “inconsistent state-level policies” and a “widespread lack of coordination.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_12005655,news_11975890,news_11997534\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similar competition exists between K–12 school districts and regional occupational programs. California created the regional occupational programs in the 1970s as a way to consolidate career training across school districts. However, the school districts aren’t required to collaborate with the occupational programs, and in some cases, districts launch their own career technical classes instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The federal government also invests in career education. Some of the money goes directly to community colleges and K–12 school districts, but the largest allocation goes toward California’s 45 workforce development boards, which operate the state’s nearly 180 job centers. For years, these centers helped lower-income adults, unemployed adults, and certain youth find jobs, but \u003ca href=\"https://cwdb.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/43/2022/09/AJCC-Evaluation-Report_FINAL_ACCESSIBLE.pdf#page=10\">research shows (PDF)\u003c/a> that sending a person back to school can yield better long-term results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, job centers provide many students with tuition subsidies or cash to help cover daily expenses, such as rent and transportation, during school. Last month, a CalMatters investigation of job centers across the state found that roughly half of those subsidies \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2024/08/job-training-california-for-profit-schools/\">went to for-profit trade schools\u003c/a>, even when community colleges offered free or low-cost courses nearby. In some cases, graduates of these trade schools \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/2024/08/for-profit-schools-california-jobs/\">earned less than $30,000 a year\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the eastern half of Fresno County, which includes Reedley, 16 students received a tuition subsidy in the past year to study agriculture, either through a welding or heavy equipment program, according to the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board. Some attended Lofaro’s regional occupational programs, while others attended Advanced Career Institute and the Institute of Technology, two local for-profit institutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005722\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005722\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_12-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_12-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_12-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_12-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_12-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Student Felix Nevarez welding a piece of metal during a class. \u003ccite>(Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fernanda Mendoza, a program coordinator at the job center closest to Reedley, said she recommends the private programs over the public ones because the for-profit schools provide students with “more of that one-on-one interaction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A hodgepodge of job training options creates barriers for students\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Over the past decade, state leaders have tried to revamp the career training system to foster collaboration. However, critics say the interventions have created more bureaucracy and made few real changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2015, California created the Adult Education Program, which today sends out over $650 million a year on the condition that each region administers the money through a consortium of local adult schools, community colleges, and regional occupational programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following year, the state created the Strong Workforce Program, which sends over $100 million a year to 72 community college districts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in 2018, California launched the K–12 Strong Workforce Program, but to ensure that high schools and colleges work together, the money flows through another regional network — which is different from the adult education consortia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These three programs are just a fraction of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/8.31.23-Career-Education-Executive-Order.pdf\">billions California taxpayers spent (PDF)\u003c/a> on career education in the past five years. Many agencies — including the state’s Education Department, Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, Labor and Workforce Development Agency, and Rehabilitation Department — all have additional pots of money for similar programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005723\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005723\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_17-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_17-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_17-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_17-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_17-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A medical dummy lies on a bed for a nursing assistant class at Reedley High School. \u003ccite>(Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In Reedley, Lofaro said he applies for many of these grants. One of his competitors is another regional occupational program, which works with a different set of K–12 school districts in Fresno County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, Assemblymember Muratsuchi unsuccessfully proposed \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB377\">a bill\u003c/a> to merge the K–12 Strong Workforce Program with another existing program run by the state’s Education Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The governor’s office hasn’t made any of its recommendations public, but it’s led forums across the state about the new plan. Kathy Booth is the director of the Center for Economic Mobility at WestEd, a nonprofit organization, and she helped the governor’s office engage with the public. In the hearing with Muratsuchi, she shared feedback from local leaders, who said the state’s workforce systems have created barriers for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you are a person who gets a partial training in one area, and then you need to get to a different area, it’s almost impossible to make that jump,” she told lawmakers. “And that is really underscored by this incredible lack of coordination between funding and underlying data.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Adam Echelman covers California’s community colleges in partnership with Open Campus, a nonprofit newsroom focused on higher education. \u003c/em>\u003cem>Financial support for this story was provided by the Smidt and Irvine foundations.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "California taxpayers fund career education at high schools, adult schools, community colleges, regional occupational programs and for-profit trade schools, but critics say it reflects 'an incredible lack of coordination.' ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1740182184,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 39,
"wordCount": 2023
},
"headData": {
"title": "Can Newsom's Master Plan for Career Education Fix an Outdated and Complicated System? | KQED",
"description": "California taxpayers fund career education at high schools, adult schools, community colleges, regional occupational programs and for-profit trade schools, but critics say it reflects 'an incredible lack of coordination.' ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Can Newsom's Master Plan for Career Education Fix an Outdated and Complicated System?",
"datePublished": "2024-09-21T13:00:00-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-02-21T15:56:24-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/adam-echelman/\">Adam Echelman\u003c/a>, CalMatters",
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12005718",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12005718/career-education-is-redundant-and-convoluted-gavin-newsom-says-hell-fix-it",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The town of Reedley has about 25,000 people — and five different public institutions that offer career education to its residents. There’s the high school, the adult school, the community college, the job center and the regional occupational program. In some cases, they work together to teach skills, such as welding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other times, they compete for the same students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/hearings/258242\">a hearing\u003c/a> last month, California Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/al-muratsuchi-34399\">Al Muratsuchi\u003c/a>, a Democrat from Torrance, said that he worries some workforce programs are becoming increasingly “Balkanized” despite numerous efforts to promote collaboration. Gov. Gavin Newsom said he’ll help unify these programs by creating \u003ca href=\"https://careereducation.gov.ca.gov/\">a Master Plan for Career Education\u003c/a>. State agencies are required to create the plan by Oct. 1, though Newsom hasn’t said when he’ll release it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Reedley College in rural Fresno County, Dean of Instruction David Clark acknowledged that some programs compete — in other parts of the state — but said that in this small town, that issue is less relevant. “In Fresno, you might flip someone off and never see them again, but here, that’s your neighbor,” said Clark. Instead, he said, local workforce leaders in Reedley have close personal relationships with one another and collaborate frequently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s more, he said that each institution serves a different population: Historically, community colleges focused on high school graduates, providing them with vocational training or a pathway to a four-year university. Adult schools offered short-term courses, such as English as a second language, often to immigrants and older adults. Regional occupational programs arose as a way to help high schools consolidate and coordinate expensive career training classes. Job centers were a place for adults to get help finding work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To some extent, that’s all still true, but over the past few decades, the lines have blurred. High school students are taking college-level classes at growing rates. More than 40% of community college students in California are 25 and older, according to data from the Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, and the system is investing \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/09/community-college-enrollment-3/#:~:text=Losing%20the%20%E2%80%98drive%E2%80%99%20for%20community%20college\">in short-term classes\u003c/a> that rival the courses at many adult schools. While job centers once placed people directly in jobs, they’re now facing \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2024/08/job-training-california-for-profit-schools/#:~:text=How%20the%20law%20helped%20for%2Dprofit%20job%20training%20schools\">a push\u003c/a> from state and federal leaders to send jobseekers back to school to earn better long-term wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005746\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005746\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_10-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_10-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_10-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_10-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_10-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Instructor David Tikkanen shows student Francisco Fernandez how to work on an engine lathe when shaving a metal rod. \u003ccite>(Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The state’s existing higher education plan is from 1960 and “was designed to serve a very different California,” wrote Elana Ross, a spokesperson for the governor, in an emailed statement. She said the “current budgetary conditions” — namely, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/california-budget-whiplash/\">two years of multibillion-dollar deficits\u003c/a> — “call us to work together more effectively.” The office refused to speak to CalMatters in an on-the-record interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the hearing, Muratsuchi said he’s skeptical that the governor’s new plan will yield substantive changes to this convoluted system. “These are the same agencies that have failed to collaborate,” he said. “Why do we expect different results?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Redundancy’ in Reedley\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Clark has lived in Reedley for 35 years, and as he walks around the community college campus, he shares the town lore with pride. In 2002, the town voted against the construction of a Walmart. The town doesn’t have a movie theater or a mall either, he said. “People have tried to maintain that Norman Rockwell lifestyle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t always reflect reality — Walmart, for instance, built a location just 5 miles away, in the town next door — but Clark said that Reedley is still more vibrant than some of the other rural towns in the Central Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reason is agriculture: It’s the “world’s fruit basket,” according to the town’s chamber of commerce. Reedley specializes in growing and shipping stone fruit such as peaches, plums and nectarines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005744\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005744\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_01-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_01-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_01-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_01-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_01-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students measure part of a tractor engine in their agricultural mechanics class at Reedley College. \u003ccite>(Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For the roughly 7,500 Reedley College students taking a career technical education class, the most popular programs are in agriculture and manufacturing, which overlap considerably, said Clark. Classes in health care, such as those for nursing assistants, are another common path, especially for women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a series of large classrooms, each one as big as a warehouse, college students learn how to repair tractor engines, how to weld the pieces of a truck bed, and how to create the metal pieces used in food packaging machines. Some equipment, such as machines for metal cutting, can cost the school over a million dollars per device. Most of the training for nursing assistants takes place at a retirement home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On certain days, the college shares these classrooms with the Valley Regional Occupational Program so it can run its own manufacturing courses for high school students. By using some of the same facilities, the high school saves money and helps introduce students to college, said Fabrizio Lofaro, superintendent of the occupational program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, for welding courses, which are more popular, the high school has its own facilities and offers less advanced courses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005721\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005721\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_16-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_16-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_16-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_16-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_16-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The workstations for a welding class at Reedley High School. \u003ccite>(Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At night and on weekends, the regional occupational program works with a different institution, Kings Canyon Adult School, to offer another set of welding classes focused on working adults.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Noe Mendoza, the learning director of the adult school, acknowledged some “redundancy,” especially with the community college. What makes adult schools different, he said, is that they’re accessible for adults who lack a high school degree or who need short-term, career-oriented training.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re field workers, or they’re working in the warehouses, the cold storages, and they want something different,” said Mendoza. “If it’s given here, it seems more attainable, even though it’s the same class.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Community college leaders, however, insist that their courses are accessible too. In June, state leaders announced \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2024/06/high-school-diploma/\">a policy change\u003c/a> meant to draw adults without high school degrees toward college. Since the start of the pandemic, community colleges have spent \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/08/california-community-colleges-2/\">millions of dollars recruiting older adults\u003c/a> by offering shorter classes and career-oriented programs — sometimes reaching out directly to farmworkers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Five different entities competing for students and money\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Community colleges and adult schools have long competed for students. In the 1990s, the issue came to the fore when six Southern California school districts \u003ca href=\"https://casetext.com/case/orange-unified-sch-v-rancho-santiago-comm-col\">sued their local community colleges\u003c/a>, saying that the colleges had overstepped their boundaries by teaching certain classes, such as high school equivalency courses or English as a second language. The judge found that both systems had a right to teach these classes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit is emblematic of long-standing duplication and conflict in adult education: \u003ca href=\"https://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2012/edu/adult-education/restructuring-adult-education-120412.aspx\">A 2012 report\u003c/a> by California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office found “inconsistent state-level policies” and a “widespread lack of coordination.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "Related Stories ",
"postid": "news_12005655,news_11975890,news_11997534"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similar competition exists between K–12 school districts and regional occupational programs. California created the regional occupational programs in the 1970s as a way to consolidate career training across school districts. However, the school districts aren’t required to collaborate with the occupational programs, and in some cases, districts launch their own career technical classes instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The federal government also invests in career education. Some of the money goes directly to community colleges and K–12 school districts, but the largest allocation goes toward California’s 45 workforce development boards, which operate the state’s nearly 180 job centers. For years, these centers helped lower-income adults, unemployed adults, and certain youth find jobs, but \u003ca href=\"https://cwdb.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/43/2022/09/AJCC-Evaluation-Report_FINAL_ACCESSIBLE.pdf#page=10\">research shows (PDF)\u003c/a> that sending a person back to school can yield better long-term results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, job centers provide many students with tuition subsidies or cash to help cover daily expenses, such as rent and transportation, during school. Last month, a CalMatters investigation of job centers across the state found that roughly half of those subsidies \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2024/08/job-training-california-for-profit-schools/\">went to for-profit trade schools\u003c/a>, even when community colleges offered free or low-cost courses nearby. In some cases, graduates of these trade schools \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/2024/08/for-profit-schools-california-jobs/\">earned less than $30,000 a year\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the eastern half of Fresno County, which includes Reedley, 16 students received a tuition subsidy in the past year to study agriculture, either through a welding or heavy equipment program, according to the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board. Some attended Lofaro’s regional occupational programs, while others attended Advanced Career Institute and the Institute of Technology, two local for-profit institutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005722\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005722\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_12-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_12-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_12-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_12-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_12-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Student Felix Nevarez welding a piece of metal during a class. \u003ccite>(Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fernanda Mendoza, a program coordinator at the job center closest to Reedley, said she recommends the private programs over the public ones because the for-profit schools provide students with “more of that one-on-one interaction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A hodgepodge of job training options creates barriers for students\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Over the past decade, state leaders have tried to revamp the career training system to foster collaboration. However, critics say the interventions have created more bureaucracy and made few real changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2015, California created the Adult Education Program, which today sends out over $650 million a year on the condition that each region administers the money through a consortium of local adult schools, community colleges, and regional occupational programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following year, the state created the Strong Workforce Program, which sends over $100 million a year to 72 community college districts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in 2018, California launched the K–12 Strong Workforce Program, but to ensure that high schools and colleges work together, the money flows through another regional network — which is different from the adult education consortia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These three programs are just a fraction of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/8.31.23-Career-Education-Executive-Order.pdf\">billions California taxpayers spent (PDF)\u003c/a> on career education in the past five years. Many agencies — including the state’s Education Department, Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, Labor and Workforce Development Agency, and Rehabilitation Department — all have additional pots of money for similar programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005723\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005723\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_17-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_17-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_17-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_17-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/091124-Reedley-class-and-Work-Center-LV_17-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A medical dummy lies on a bed for a nursing assistant class at Reedley High School. \u003ccite>(Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In Reedley, Lofaro said he applies for many of these grants. One of his competitors is another regional occupational program, which works with a different set of K–12 school districts in Fresno County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, Assemblymember Muratsuchi unsuccessfully proposed \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB377\">a bill\u003c/a> to merge the K–12 Strong Workforce Program with another existing program run by the state’s Education Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The governor’s office hasn’t made any of its recommendations public, but it’s led forums across the state about the new plan. Kathy Booth is the director of the Center for Economic Mobility at WestEd, a nonprofit organization, and she helped the governor’s office engage with the public. In the hearing with Muratsuchi, she shared feedback from local leaders, who said the state’s workforce systems have created barriers for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you are a person who gets a partial training in one area, and then you need to get to a different area, it’s almost impossible to make that jump,” she told lawmakers. “And that is really underscored by this incredible lack of coordination between funding and underlying data.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Adam Echelman covers California’s community colleges in partnership with Open Campus, a nonprofit newsroom focused on higher education. \u003c/em>\u003cem>Financial support for this story was provided by the Smidt and Irvine foundations.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12005718/career-education-is-redundant-and-convoluted-gavin-newsom-says-hell-fix-it",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12005718"
],
"categories": [
"news_18540",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_20013",
"news_27626",
"news_16",
"news_19904"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_12005719",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_12005655": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12005655",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12005655",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1726866051000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "california-rolls-out-career-path-grants-to-schools-nearly-a-year-late",
"title": "California Rolls Out Career Path Grants to Schools — Nearly a Year Late",
"publishDate": 1726866051,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "California Rolls Out Career Path Grants to Schools — Nearly a Year Late | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>California is poised to announce on Friday which schools will share a windfall to bolster career paths for students — but delays and mishaps have meant that thousands of students missed the opportunity to participate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An estimated 300 K–12 schools will share $450 million to set up internships, boost dual-enrollment programs at community colleges and take other steps to connect students to high-paying jobs in health care, technology, the arts and other fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement comes after a tumultuous few months for the Golden State Pathways program, which is part of California’s broader effort to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2024/04/career-pathways/\">bolster career and technical education\u003c/a> at high schools and community colleges. Alongside other investments, the program is intended to ultimately make career training available to every student.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Initially \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB181\">created by the Legislature\u003c/a> in 2022, the Golden State Pathways Program was supposed to roll out the following year, with schools applying for grants and the state Education Department announcing winners in January 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in spring 2023, a brewing state budget deficit led some legislators to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/06/college-career-program-cuts/\">propose delaying the program\u003c/a> and sending the money elsewhere. After protests from school districts and career education advocates, the program survived — then faced more delays when the state pushed back the application deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, the Education Department announced that 302 school districts won grant money, but \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2024/something-went-wrong-cde-reconsiders-who-will-get-470-million-for-college-and-career-grants/718578\">according to reporting by EdSource\u003c/a>, some of those grants were for far different amounts than what the schools had applied for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In July, the state abruptly revoked the entire roster of grant recipients, saying it needed to review the applications again, given that school districts had flooded it with appeals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The California Department of Education takes Golden State Pathways, as well as all of California’s investments in workforce-ready educational opportunities, very seriously, and we are committed to ensuring that these funds get to local educational agencies as quickly as possible. We recognize the impact that this (delay) has had on districts, and every effort is underway to ensure that funds are distributed as swiftly as possible,” Elizabeth Sanders, spokesperson for the Education Department, said in an email this week, adding that the agency is working to “ensure that all communication moving forward is clear, responsive, and collaborative.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School districts and career education advocates were irate. The delay meant they could not move forward with plans for this fall, even though many had already committed to programs. In early September, a group of 20 school districts and nonprofits \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/14gyrzaq72kaJWbDB5yY0cMGGisY8gSQmsVKV9_p__OI/edit\">wrote an urgent letter\u003c/a> to state officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, imploring them to speed up the process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We respectfully ask that you do everything in your power to get promised Golden State Pathways grant dollars flowing, sent, and received to the hundreds of local education agencies that have planned, staffed and set expectations for this funding across California communities,” they wrote. “Time is of the essence for the communities that depend on them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The delays were especially painful for districts that have been scrambling to help students recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Since campuses reopened, they’ve grappled with \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2023/09/soaring-chronic-absenteeism-in-california-schools-is-at-pivotal-moment/\">high levels of chronic absenteeism\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2023/10/california-student-test-scores/\">lackluster test scores\u003c/a> and an uptick in student misbehavior. Many students, meanwhile, have struggled with \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/commentary/2024/04/california-school-mental-health-unprepared/\">high levels of anxiety and depression\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Career pathways have offered some hope. Students who participate in them \u003ca href=\"https://edpolicyinca.org/publications/career-technical-education-among-california-high-school-graduates#footnote1_Dbk96AMGbpMU3Wv0de2YYYct6eusBzDVB28hfbyDtw_qV0DtDFs2WTG\">tend to have\u003c/a> higher graduation rates, higher rates of college enrollment and higher earnings later in life, according to research compiled by Policy Analysis for California Education, a nonprofit think tank.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By improving career paths for students, the state also hopes to spur its own economy by providing skilled workers for growing industries such as health care, technology and climate-related fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-students-missing-out\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Students missing out\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>However, the delays and uncertainty have forced schools and organizations to freeze hiring and planning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re in a holding pattern and the school year has already begun. We’re missing an opportunity to reach more students and help more school districts with their goals,” said Kirk Anne Taylor, executive director of Climate Action Pathways for Schools, a nonprofit that provides paid internships for high school students to work on environmental projects in their schools and communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_12005414,mindshift_64499,news_12002383\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porterville Unified in Tulare County is among the districts that risked postponing its career pathways expansion plans. The district was hoping to use Golden State Pathways grant money this year to expand its climate internship program, where students create energy audits of school buildings and recommend ways to save gas and electricity. Over the past three years, the students’ audits have \u003ca href=\"https://pathways.portervilleschools.org/apps/news/article/1553139\">saved the school district\u003c/a> more than $830,000 in energy costs. Students have also worked on green schoolyard projects and a switch to electric buses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor’s organization ended up finding another funding source for Porterville’s program, but other districts weren’t so lucky, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a great program in Porterville, and we’re eager to move forward … there and elsewhere,” Taylor said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Los Angeles, a nonprofit called UNITE-LA connects schools with local businesses, setting up internships, job shadowing opportunities, mock interviews, professional speakers and other avenues for students to gain career experience. Due to the delays, plans to expand its programs at dozens of Los Angeles County high schools have been scuttled for a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Career education “really has the power to transform students’ lives,” said Carrie Lemmon, UNITE-LA senior vice president of systems change strategy. “So many students are struggling right now. We’re grateful for the grants, but every year we wait to implement these reforms, we’re losing more students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "After delays and mishaps, California rolls out the Golden State Pathways Program that will grant $450 million to 300 high schools, helping connect students to high-paying jobs in various sectors.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1728597133,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 23,
"wordCount": 979
},
"headData": {
"title": "California Rolls Out Career Path Grants to Schools — Nearly a Year Late | KQED",
"description": "After delays and mishaps, California rolls out the Golden State Pathways Program that will grant $450 million to 300 high schools, helping connect students to high-paying jobs in various sectors.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "California Rolls Out Career Path Grants to Schools — Nearly a Year Late",
"datePublished": "2024-09-20T14:00:51-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-10-10T14:52:13-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/carolyn-jones/\">Carolyn Jones\u003c/a>, CalMatters",
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12005655",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12005655/california-rolls-out-career-path-grants-to-schools-nearly-a-year-late",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California is poised to announce on Friday which schools will share a windfall to bolster career paths for students — but delays and mishaps have meant that thousands of students missed the opportunity to participate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An estimated 300 K–12 schools will share $450 million to set up internships, boost dual-enrollment programs at community colleges and take other steps to connect students to high-paying jobs in health care, technology, the arts and other fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement comes after a tumultuous few months for the Golden State Pathways program, which is part of California’s broader effort to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2024/04/career-pathways/\">bolster career and technical education\u003c/a> at high schools and community colleges. Alongside other investments, the program is intended to ultimately make career training available to every student.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Initially \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB181\">created by the Legislature\u003c/a> in 2022, the Golden State Pathways Program was supposed to roll out the following year, with schools applying for grants and the state Education Department announcing winners in January 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in spring 2023, a brewing state budget deficit led some legislators to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/06/college-career-program-cuts/\">propose delaying the program\u003c/a> and sending the money elsewhere. After protests from school districts and career education advocates, the program survived — then faced more delays when the state pushed back the application deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, the Education Department announced that 302 school districts won grant money, but \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2024/something-went-wrong-cde-reconsiders-who-will-get-470-million-for-college-and-career-grants/718578\">according to reporting by EdSource\u003c/a>, some of those grants were for far different amounts than what the schools had applied for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In July, the state abruptly revoked the entire roster of grant recipients, saying it needed to review the applications again, given that school districts had flooded it with appeals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The California Department of Education takes Golden State Pathways, as well as all of California’s investments in workforce-ready educational opportunities, very seriously, and we are committed to ensuring that these funds get to local educational agencies as quickly as possible. We recognize the impact that this (delay) has had on districts, and every effort is underway to ensure that funds are distributed as swiftly as possible,” Elizabeth Sanders, spokesperson for the Education Department, said in an email this week, adding that the agency is working to “ensure that all communication moving forward is clear, responsive, and collaborative.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School districts and career education advocates were irate. The delay meant they could not move forward with plans for this fall, even though many had already committed to programs. In early September, a group of 20 school districts and nonprofits \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/14gyrzaq72kaJWbDB5yY0cMGGisY8gSQmsVKV9_p__OI/edit\">wrote an urgent letter\u003c/a> to state officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, imploring them to speed up the process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We respectfully ask that you do everything in your power to get promised Golden State Pathways grant dollars flowing, sent, and received to the hundreds of local education agencies that have planned, staffed and set expectations for this funding across California communities,” they wrote. “Time is of the essence for the communities that depend on them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The delays were especially painful for districts that have been scrambling to help students recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Since campuses reopened, they’ve grappled with \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2023/09/soaring-chronic-absenteeism-in-california-schools-is-at-pivotal-moment/\">high levels of chronic absenteeism\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2023/10/california-student-test-scores/\">lackluster test scores\u003c/a> and an uptick in student misbehavior. Many students, meanwhile, have struggled with \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/commentary/2024/04/california-school-mental-health-unprepared/\">high levels of anxiety and depression\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Career pathways have offered some hope. Students who participate in them \u003ca href=\"https://edpolicyinca.org/publications/career-technical-education-among-california-high-school-graduates#footnote1_Dbk96AMGbpMU3Wv0de2YYYct6eusBzDVB28hfbyDtw_qV0DtDFs2WTG\">tend to have\u003c/a> higher graduation rates, higher rates of college enrollment and higher earnings later in life, according to research compiled by Policy Analysis for California Education, a nonprofit think tank.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By improving career paths for students, the state also hopes to spur its own economy by providing skilled workers for growing industries such as health care, technology and climate-related fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-students-missing-out\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Students missing out\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>However, the delays and uncertainty have forced schools and organizations to freeze hiring and planning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re in a holding pattern and the school year has already begun. We’re missing an opportunity to reach more students and help more school districts with their goals,” said Kirk Anne Taylor, executive director of Climate Action Pathways for Schools, a nonprofit that provides paid internships for high school students to work on environmental projects in their schools and communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "Related Stories ",
"postid": "news_12005414,mindshift_64499,news_12002383"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porterville Unified in Tulare County is among the districts that risked postponing its career pathways expansion plans. The district was hoping to use Golden State Pathways grant money this year to expand its climate internship program, where students create energy audits of school buildings and recommend ways to save gas and electricity. Over the past three years, the students’ audits have \u003ca href=\"https://pathways.portervilleschools.org/apps/news/article/1553139\">saved the school district\u003c/a> more than $830,000 in energy costs. Students have also worked on green schoolyard projects and a switch to electric buses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor’s organization ended up finding another funding source for Porterville’s program, but other districts weren’t so lucky, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a great program in Porterville, and we’re eager to move forward … there and elsewhere,” Taylor said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Los Angeles, a nonprofit called UNITE-LA connects schools with local businesses, setting up internships, job shadowing opportunities, mock interviews, professional speakers and other avenues for students to gain career experience. Due to the delays, plans to expand its programs at dozens of Los Angeles County high schools have been scuttled for a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Career education “really has the power to transform students’ lives,” said Carrie Lemmon, UNITE-LA senior vice president of systems change strategy. “So many students are struggling right now. We’re grateful for the grants, but every year we wait to implement these reforms, we’re losing more students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12005655/california-rolls-out-career-path-grants-to-schools-nearly-a-year-late",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12005655"
],
"categories": [
"news_18540",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_18538",
"news_20013",
"news_1760"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_12005656",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_12005503": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12005503",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12005503",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1726842650000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "this-california-college-lets-homeless-students-sleep-safely-in-their-cars-on-campus-why-dont-other-schools-do-it",
"title": "This California College Lets Homeless Students Sleep Safely in Their Cars on Campus. Why Don't Other Schools Do It?",
"publishDate": 1726842650,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "This California College Lets Homeless Students Sleep Safely in Their Cars on Campus. Why Don’t Other Schools Do It? | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Pink hues adorn the horizon as the sun rises on a nondescript parking lot at Long Beach City College. The lot is quiet but not empty, with the same gray asphalt and slightly faded white lines as any other one on campus. But from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., it is much more than a place to park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lot is a designated area for Long Beach City College’s Safe Parking Program, an initiative from the college’s Basic Needs Center that offers safe overnight parking for students and connects them to resources like showers and Wi-Fi. The program was created to address a particular student demographic: homeless students living in their cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.ccleague.org/sites/default/files/images/basic_needs_among_california_community_college_students-final-2023.pdf\">report (PDF)\u003c/a> from the Community College League of California found that 2 out of 3 of the state’s community college students struggle to meet their basic needs and almost 3 out of 5 are housing insecure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To help these students, multiple legislative measures have tried to create safe parking options similar to Long Beach City College’s. The most recent effort was \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240ab1818?slug=CA_202320240AB1818\">Assembly Bill 1818\u003c/a>. Introduced by Assemblymember Corey Jackson early this year, the bill would have required the California Community College and California State University systems to create pilot programs to provide safe overnight parking for students living in their cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Parking lot homeless programs are a best practice that’s been used throughout the nation; churches have done it, cities have done it, it’s time for colleges to step up and do it too,” Jackson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill was killed in the appropriations committee on Aug. 16 but would have required the California State University to select five campuses to participate in the pilot program; the California Community College chancellor would have had to select 20. The pilot program would have lasted through 2028.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The appropriations committee, which assesses the financial viability of a bill, estimated that establishing pilot programs across the Cal State system would cost around $500,000 as well as an additional $2.25 million in annual costs. For the California Community Colleges, the committee estimated between $91,500 and $112,00 in one-time costs and $10 million to $13 million in annual costs for the duration of the program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Justin Mendez, coordinator of Long Beach City College’s Basic Needs Program, oversees the safe parking program and said those estimates sound high, although he acknowledges that costs will vary from campus to campus. Long Beach City College has been able to fund its program for less than the committee’s estimated costs by working collaboratively with other departments and using existing contracts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the bill had garnered support from organizations like the California Faculty Association and the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, several community college districts and the California State University system opposed it. Some of their concerns include liability risk and cost. They also argue that providing secure overnight parking is not a permanent solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005505\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005505\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021119-LA-SAFE-PARKING-GETTY-CM-01-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021119-LA-SAFE-PARKING-GETTY-CM-01-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021119-LA-SAFE-PARKING-GETTY-CM-01-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021119-LA-SAFE-PARKING-GETTY-CM-01-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021119-LA-SAFE-PARKING-GETTY-CM-01-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Safe Parking LA parking permit on a car windshield in a ‘safe parking’ lot in Los Angeles, on Feb. 11, 2019. By 2023, the organization was operating 7 ‘safe parking’ lots monitored by security guards in the Los Angeles area, offering a temporary 12-hour safe haven for people who live in their cars or RVs. \u003ccite>(Kyle Grillot/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Letitia Clark, chief communications officer for the South Orange County Community College District, said the district has been investing in programs that support basic needs, including housing, as well as exploring building housing on campus as part of their facilities master plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t want any mandates or anything that would take away from that, and especially with an alternative that we actually don’t think is safe and really provides a good quality of life for our students,” Clark said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mendez at Long Beach City College acknowledges that overnight parking is not a housing solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not in the understanding that providing our students a safe place to park is providing them housing,” Mendez said, adding that the program is just one of the many resources available for students facing housing insecurity. However, overnight parking provides an immediate safe space while students are connected to longer-term housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Providing holistic support\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Started in 2021, the program has evolved over the years. The lot is now located next to the college’s campus safety building, which has allowed Long Beach City College to cut down on the nearly $500,000 they spent the first two years hiring an outside security company. Students have access to the bathroom in the campus safety building throughout the night and can access the locker room showers from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the nearby school stadium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Being next to the campus safety building means overnight security officers and parking employees periodically check in on the lot as part of their routine rounds. Mendez said that despite there not being 24/7 surveillance, there haven’t been any safety issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lot has 15 parking spots reserved for safe parking participants from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m., although the program can have around 30 folks enrolled at a time. Mendez said they rarely have issues with capacity because students use the resource to varying degrees — some enroll as a backup because they are at risk of losing their housing, others may only need a night or two while they wait to relocate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students in the Safe Parking Program need to be enrolled in the primary terms of fall and spring. However, they can continue using the program during summer and winter without being enrolled during those terms. They must also be independent; service animals are allowed but students can’t be living in their vehicle with family or have dependents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These eligibility requirements have evolved as Mendez and his team assess what is realistic and better serves students. Originally, the program required students to have their vehicles registered and an up-to-date license, but now that is something the college assists them with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once enrolled in the program, students receive a welcome packet, sign a liability release form and are connected with a case manager to find long-term housing, whether that be through one of the college’s community partners or elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the 2022–23 academic year, the program had a total of 24 students. Twelve of them found transitional or permanent housing. For fall 2023, 21 students enrolled in the program, two obtained permanent housing and 19 of them continued into spring 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The community has also been supportive of the program. Mendez said that since it started, the program has received donations of blankets, gift cards, hygiene kits and other necessities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elliot Stern, the president of Saddleback College, spoke against AB 1818 during a Senate committee hearing, arguing that colleges need to get students out of their cars and into their basic needs centers so their needs can be “addressed holistically.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Long Beach City College, students access the parking program through the basic needs center and its online request form. What began as a COVID-19 emergency aid application has continued to be a useful one-stop-shop application for students seeking help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For all of our basic needs efforts, we always take a wide scope and try to cast the widest net we can,” Mendez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey asks whether students are facing housing insecurity, which could mean they are struggling to pay rent or have to move frequently, or if they are homeless, meaning they don’t have a permanent place to live. If they answer yes to either, the survey then asks if they’re sleeping in their vehicle, couch surfing, staying in hotels or borrowing a room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through this data, the Basic Needs team can directly connect students with specific resources. For students who self-identify as living in their cars, the outreach coordinator then refers them to the Safe Parking Program.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When students aren’t allowed to park\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>AB 1818 was inspired by the experiences of students attending campuses without overnight parking. The bill originated as a response to Cal Poly Humboldt evicting students living in their vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Oct. 25, 2023, Cal Poly Humboldt students received a \u003ca href=\"https://mailings.humboldt.edu/general/2023_10_25/index.html\">mass announcement\u003c/a> stating that the university would begin enforcing a parking policy it had previously overlooked and would be evicting students who were found sleeping in their vehicles overnight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of those students was Caleb Chen, a second-year public sociology graduate student. He applied to Humboldt in late June of last year and knew finding housing would be difficult. After doing some research, he learned about the university’s alternative living community and figured it would be feasible to live out of his van.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chen was in the graduate lounge with a friend when they both got the email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh, the jig is up,” his friend told him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The eviction announcement said allowing students to sleep in their cars was “unsanitary” and “unsafe” — terminology that not only made students feel dehumanized but also something they considered inaccurate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005507\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005507\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_05-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_05-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_05-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_05-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_05-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brad Butterfield standing inside his RV. \u003ccite>(Alexandra Hootnick for CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Brad Butterfield, president of the Alternative Living Club, a school club created by Humboldt students living in their cars to form a community and advocate for establishing a mail service, said the administration brought up similar sanitation concerns when they pitched the idea of a safe parking program on campus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t need, nor ever asked for, bathrooms, showers or security,” said Butterfield, a journalism senior. “All we need is a place to park overnight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Butterfield lives in an RV, which has a built-in bathroom. He has a membership at a local gym and showers there. For students without RVs, Chen said there still are bathrooms on campus that are open 24/7 and that most undergraduate students shower in the school gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really difficult to be pretty much told that you can’t exist,” Butterfield said. “We weren’t causing any harm. We all kept a really low profile.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Butterfield said that at the time of the evictions, 25 to 30 students were living in their cars. Some lived in discrete vehicles like SUVs, while others lived in RVs like him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The email announcement stated that campus officers had received calls from members of the community “expressing fear and frustration about the situation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There were never any issues between the vehicle dwellers on campus,” Butterfield said. “Not between us as a community and certainly not between us and the campus community at large.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005506\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005506\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_11-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_11-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_11-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_11-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_11-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brad Butterfield checks the top of his RV for leaks in Arcata on Aug. 24, 2024. \u003ccite>(Alexandra Hootnick for CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to Butterfield, it was quite the contrary. He said some students had told him they felt safer knowing there were students in the parking lot at night who could call the police if anyone was trying to break into their car — something the group had done in the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The stigma around homelessness is something that Mendez from Long Beach City College has been fighting since the beginning of the safe parking program. He said the staff have a student-centered approach and are mindful of treating students with dignity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s all of these negative stereotypes about what a homeless person is instead of realizing that these college students are coming here to be successful. They’re coming here to work on their long-term goals and help themselves and their families,” Mendez said. “I think that level of dignity has made the biggest impact beyond the actual connection of housing partners.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mischaracterization of homeless students is what ended a 2019 bill that was also advocating for safe parking. \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB302\">Assembly Bill 302\u003c/a> was introduced by Assemblymember Marc Berman and would have required community college campuses to allow overnight access to parking, bathroom and shower facilities for students living in their cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill made it to the appropriations committee, where it underwent significant amendments that Berman said “watered down the bill” and “treated homeless community college students like pedophiles” by placing restrictions for campuses within a certain distance from elementary schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_12000987,news_11988775,mindshift_64314\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was really unfortunate and damaging in terms of stigmatizing homeless students. And so, because of a lot of those reasons, we decided to stop the bill from moving forward and work on other solutions to the issue,” Berman said. He later drafted Assembly Bill 132, which successfully passed and required every California Community College to establish a basic needs center and hire a basic needs coordinator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2020, another student tried starting a pilot overnight parking program at his campus. Grayson Peters, now a UCLA alumni, was a founder of UCLA Safe Parking and came across similar arguments from his administration at the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said UCLA administrators told him allowing students to live in their cars and park overnight was “fundamentally unsafe.” Peters said that while he agrees with the statement, the alternative can be even more dangerous for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Students are actively sleeping on unsecured city streets a few blocks over, without the benefit of university guards or university facilities or the student gym nearby to go to the restroom in the middle of the night if they need to,” Peters said. “The status quo is more unsafe than the solution we’re proposing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Butterfield and his partner have experienced that risk. After being evicted, they tried to find safe places to park around the city. But Arcata has a 72-hour parking limit, which meant they had to relocate every three days. Butterfield said the Arcata police have harassed them multiple times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It feels like we’re constantly trying to outrun the police because they keep wanting us to move from here to there to here to there,” Butterfield said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal State Humboldt referred students to a safe parking program run by a local nonprofit organization, but that program ended this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stephanie Goldman, the associate director of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, said data shows that a student’s proximity to campus can affect their academic outcomes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Safe parking] is not only giving them a safer option, but an option that is conducive to them reaching their goals,” Goldman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such was the case for Chen in Humboldt, who, before the eviction, was doing much better academically because the commute time was so short, and he didn’t have to stress about where he would spend the night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chen spent the remainder of the semester and the following one at a local public parking lot. He now lives in a studio apartment he can afford because of loans and scholarships and is splitting rent with his partner, who moved up to Humboldt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005511\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005511\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_14-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_14-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_14-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_14-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_14-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Caleb Chen stands in the parking lot where he lived in his van at the California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, in Arcata, on Aug. 24, 2024. Due to the high cost of housing and education, some students at the university lived in their vehicles on campus prior to the university, prohibiting them from doing so in the fall of 2023. Chen, a sociology graduate student, said that finding affordable housing near the university is challenging and only possible for him this year after moving in with his partner and receiving a fellowship that can be applied toward rent. \u003ccite>(Alexandra Hootnick for CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“When that announcement happened in November, it was just a wrench into a lot of people’s livelihoods, let alone academic success,” Chen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jackson said he was disappointed that the bill was “mischaracterized” by the educational systems as encouraging students to live in their cars as opposed to more effective interventions. Moving forward, now that the legislature is on a break until January, Jackson said he will be scheduling a meeting with the Cal State and California Community Colleges chancellors to see if “there’s ways that we can still get this done.” If not, he will be reintroducing the bill next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Student Senate for the Community Colleges said they will continue to advocate for student basics needs including securing funding for dorms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jetaun Stevens, a senior staff attorney with the nonprofit law firm Public Advocates, said she hopes the bill returns with a greater coalition behind it. She said that while AB 1818 was mostly sponsored by the author, working with advocacy organizations who can co-sponsor the bill would help bring forward student stories and amplify the potential impact of the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oftentimes it does take [bills] that are somewhat controversial quite a few times before they make it across the finish line,” Stevens said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Briana Mendez-Padilla is a fellow with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Legislative bills to create safe parking programs for students on California campuses while awaiting housing have failed. Meanwhile, Long Beach City College allows homeless students to park overnight. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1740612327,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 64,
"wordCount": 2918
},
"headData": {
"title": "This California College Lets Homeless Students Sleep Safely in Their Cars on Campus. Why Don't Other Schools Do It? | KQED",
"description": "Legislative bills to create safe parking programs for students on California campuses while awaiting housing have failed. Meanwhile, Long Beach City College allows homeless students to park overnight. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "This California College Lets Homeless Students Sleep Safely in Their Cars on Campus. Why Don't Other Schools Do It?",
"datePublished": "2024-09-20T07:30:50-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-02-26T15:25:27-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/briana-mendez-padilla/\">Briana Mendez-Padilla\u003c/a>, CalMatters",
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12005503",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12005503/this-california-college-lets-homeless-students-sleep-safely-in-their-cars-on-campus-why-dont-other-schools-do-it",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Pink hues adorn the horizon as the sun rises on a nondescript parking lot at Long Beach City College. The lot is quiet but not empty, with the same gray asphalt and slightly faded white lines as any other one on campus. But from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., it is much more than a place to park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lot is a designated area for Long Beach City College’s Safe Parking Program, an initiative from the college’s Basic Needs Center that offers safe overnight parking for students and connects them to resources like showers and Wi-Fi. The program was created to address a particular student demographic: homeless students living in their cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.ccleague.org/sites/default/files/images/basic_needs_among_california_community_college_students-final-2023.pdf\">report (PDF)\u003c/a> from the Community College League of California found that 2 out of 3 of the state’s community college students struggle to meet their basic needs and almost 3 out of 5 are housing insecure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To help these students, multiple legislative measures have tried to create safe parking options similar to Long Beach City College’s. The most recent effort was \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240ab1818?slug=CA_202320240AB1818\">Assembly Bill 1818\u003c/a>. Introduced by Assemblymember Corey Jackson early this year, the bill would have required the California Community College and California State University systems to create pilot programs to provide safe overnight parking for students living in their cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Parking lot homeless programs are a best practice that’s been used throughout the nation; churches have done it, cities have done it, it’s time for colleges to step up and do it too,” Jackson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill was killed in the appropriations committee on Aug. 16 but would have required the California State University to select five campuses to participate in the pilot program; the California Community College chancellor would have had to select 20. The pilot program would have lasted through 2028.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The appropriations committee, which assesses the financial viability of a bill, estimated that establishing pilot programs across the Cal State system would cost around $500,000 as well as an additional $2.25 million in annual costs. For the California Community Colleges, the committee estimated between $91,500 and $112,00 in one-time costs and $10 million to $13 million in annual costs for the duration of the program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Justin Mendez, coordinator of Long Beach City College’s Basic Needs Program, oversees the safe parking program and said those estimates sound high, although he acknowledges that costs will vary from campus to campus. Long Beach City College has been able to fund its program for less than the committee’s estimated costs by working collaboratively with other departments and using existing contracts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the bill had garnered support from organizations like the California Faculty Association and the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, several community college districts and the California State University system opposed it. Some of their concerns include liability risk and cost. They also argue that providing secure overnight parking is not a permanent solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005505\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005505\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021119-LA-SAFE-PARKING-GETTY-CM-01-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021119-LA-SAFE-PARKING-GETTY-CM-01-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021119-LA-SAFE-PARKING-GETTY-CM-01-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021119-LA-SAFE-PARKING-GETTY-CM-01-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/021119-LA-SAFE-PARKING-GETTY-CM-01-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Safe Parking LA parking permit on a car windshield in a ‘safe parking’ lot in Los Angeles, on Feb. 11, 2019. By 2023, the organization was operating 7 ‘safe parking’ lots monitored by security guards in the Los Angeles area, offering a temporary 12-hour safe haven for people who live in their cars or RVs. \u003ccite>(Kyle Grillot/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Letitia Clark, chief communications officer for the South Orange County Community College District, said the district has been investing in programs that support basic needs, including housing, as well as exploring building housing on campus as part of their facilities master plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t want any mandates or anything that would take away from that, and especially with an alternative that we actually don’t think is safe and really provides a good quality of life for our students,” Clark said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mendez at Long Beach City College acknowledges that overnight parking is not a housing solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not in the understanding that providing our students a safe place to park is providing them housing,” Mendez said, adding that the program is just one of the many resources available for students facing housing insecurity. However, overnight parking provides an immediate safe space while students are connected to longer-term housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Providing holistic support\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Started in 2021, the program has evolved over the years. The lot is now located next to the college’s campus safety building, which has allowed Long Beach City College to cut down on the nearly $500,000 they spent the first two years hiring an outside security company. Students have access to the bathroom in the campus safety building throughout the night and can access the locker room showers from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the nearby school stadium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Being next to the campus safety building means overnight security officers and parking employees periodically check in on the lot as part of their routine rounds. Mendez said that despite there not being 24/7 surveillance, there haven’t been any safety issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lot has 15 parking spots reserved for safe parking participants from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m., although the program can have around 30 folks enrolled at a time. Mendez said they rarely have issues with capacity because students use the resource to varying degrees — some enroll as a backup because they are at risk of losing their housing, others may only need a night or two while they wait to relocate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students in the Safe Parking Program need to be enrolled in the primary terms of fall and spring. However, they can continue using the program during summer and winter without being enrolled during those terms. They must also be independent; service animals are allowed but students can’t be living in their vehicle with family or have dependents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These eligibility requirements have evolved as Mendez and his team assess what is realistic and better serves students. Originally, the program required students to have their vehicles registered and an up-to-date license, but now that is something the college assists them with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once enrolled in the program, students receive a welcome packet, sign a liability release form and are connected with a case manager to find long-term housing, whether that be through one of the college’s community partners or elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the 2022–23 academic year, the program had a total of 24 students. Twelve of them found transitional or permanent housing. For fall 2023, 21 students enrolled in the program, two obtained permanent housing and 19 of them continued into spring 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The community has also been supportive of the program. Mendez said that since it started, the program has received donations of blankets, gift cards, hygiene kits and other necessities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elliot Stern, the president of Saddleback College, spoke against AB 1818 during a Senate committee hearing, arguing that colleges need to get students out of their cars and into their basic needs centers so their needs can be “addressed holistically.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Long Beach City College, students access the parking program through the basic needs center and its online request form. What began as a COVID-19 emergency aid application has continued to be a useful one-stop-shop application for students seeking help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For all of our basic needs efforts, we always take a wide scope and try to cast the widest net we can,” Mendez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey asks whether students are facing housing insecurity, which could mean they are struggling to pay rent or have to move frequently, or if they are homeless, meaning they don’t have a permanent place to live. If they answer yes to either, the survey then asks if they’re sleeping in their vehicle, couch surfing, staying in hotels or borrowing a room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through this data, the Basic Needs team can directly connect students with specific resources. For students who self-identify as living in their cars, the outreach coordinator then refers them to the Safe Parking Program.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When students aren’t allowed to park\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>AB 1818 was inspired by the experiences of students attending campuses without overnight parking. The bill originated as a response to Cal Poly Humboldt evicting students living in their vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Oct. 25, 2023, Cal Poly Humboldt students received a \u003ca href=\"https://mailings.humboldt.edu/general/2023_10_25/index.html\">mass announcement\u003c/a> stating that the university would begin enforcing a parking policy it had previously overlooked and would be evicting students who were found sleeping in their vehicles overnight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of those students was Caleb Chen, a second-year public sociology graduate student. He applied to Humboldt in late June of last year and knew finding housing would be difficult. After doing some research, he learned about the university’s alternative living community and figured it would be feasible to live out of his van.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chen was in the graduate lounge with a friend when they both got the email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh, the jig is up,” his friend told him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The eviction announcement said allowing students to sleep in their cars was “unsanitary” and “unsafe” — terminology that not only made students feel dehumanized but also something they considered inaccurate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005507\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005507\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_05-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_05-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_05-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_05-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_05-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brad Butterfield standing inside his RV. \u003ccite>(Alexandra Hootnick for CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Brad Butterfield, president of the Alternative Living Club, a school club created by Humboldt students living in their cars to form a community and advocate for establishing a mail service, said the administration brought up similar sanitation concerns when they pitched the idea of a safe parking program on campus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t need, nor ever asked for, bathrooms, showers or security,” said Butterfield, a journalism senior. “All we need is a place to park overnight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Butterfield lives in an RV, which has a built-in bathroom. He has a membership at a local gym and showers there. For students without RVs, Chen said there still are bathrooms on campus that are open 24/7 and that most undergraduate students shower in the school gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really difficult to be pretty much told that you can’t exist,” Butterfield said. “We weren’t causing any harm. We all kept a really low profile.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Butterfield said that at the time of the evictions, 25 to 30 students were living in their cars. Some lived in discrete vehicles like SUVs, while others lived in RVs like him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The email announcement stated that campus officers had received calls from members of the community “expressing fear and frustration about the situation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There were never any issues between the vehicle dwellers on campus,” Butterfield said. “Not between us as a community and certainly not between us and the campus community at large.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005506\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005506\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_11-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_11-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_11-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_11-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_11-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brad Butterfield checks the top of his RV for leaks in Arcata on Aug. 24, 2024. \u003ccite>(Alexandra Hootnick for CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to Butterfield, it was quite the contrary. He said some students had told him they felt safer knowing there were students in the parking lot at night who could call the police if anyone was trying to break into their car — something the group had done in the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The stigma around homelessness is something that Mendez from Long Beach City College has been fighting since the beginning of the safe parking program. He said the staff have a student-centered approach and are mindful of treating students with dignity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s all of these negative stereotypes about what a homeless person is instead of realizing that these college students are coming here to be successful. They’re coming here to work on their long-term goals and help themselves and their families,” Mendez said. “I think that level of dignity has made the biggest impact beyond the actual connection of housing partners.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mischaracterization of homeless students is what ended a 2019 bill that was also advocating for safe parking. \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB302\">Assembly Bill 302\u003c/a> was introduced by Assemblymember Marc Berman and would have required community college campuses to allow overnight access to parking, bathroom and shower facilities for students living in their cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill made it to the appropriations committee, where it underwent significant amendments that Berman said “watered down the bill” and “treated homeless community college students like pedophiles” by placing restrictions for campuses within a certain distance from elementary schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "Related Stories ",
"postid": "news_12000987,news_11988775,mindshift_64314"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was really unfortunate and damaging in terms of stigmatizing homeless students. And so, because of a lot of those reasons, we decided to stop the bill from moving forward and work on other solutions to the issue,” Berman said. He later drafted Assembly Bill 132, which successfully passed and required every California Community College to establish a basic needs center and hire a basic needs coordinator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2020, another student tried starting a pilot overnight parking program at his campus. Grayson Peters, now a UCLA alumni, was a founder of UCLA Safe Parking and came across similar arguments from his administration at the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said UCLA administrators told him allowing students to live in their cars and park overnight was “fundamentally unsafe.” Peters said that while he agrees with the statement, the alternative can be even more dangerous for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Students are actively sleeping on unsecured city streets a few blocks over, without the benefit of university guards or university facilities or the student gym nearby to go to the restroom in the middle of the night if they need to,” Peters said. “The status quo is more unsafe than the solution we’re proposing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Butterfield and his partner have experienced that risk. After being evicted, they tried to find safe places to park around the city. But Arcata has a 72-hour parking limit, which meant they had to relocate every three days. Butterfield said the Arcata police have harassed them multiple times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It feels like we’re constantly trying to outrun the police because they keep wanting us to move from here to there to here to there,” Butterfield said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal State Humboldt referred students to a safe parking program run by a local nonprofit organization, but that program ended this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stephanie Goldman, the associate director of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, said data shows that a student’s proximity to campus can affect their academic outcomes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Safe parking] is not only giving them a safer option, but an option that is conducive to them reaching their goals,” Goldman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such was the case for Chen in Humboldt, who, before the eviction, was doing much better academically because the commute time was so short, and he didn’t have to stress about where he would spend the night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chen spent the remainder of the semester and the following one at a local public parking lot. He now lives in a studio apartment he can afford because of loans and scholarships and is splitting rent with his partner, who moved up to Humboldt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005511\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005511\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_14-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_14-copy.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_14-copy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_14-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/082424_Safe-Parking_AH_14-copy-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Caleb Chen stands in the parking lot where he lived in his van at the California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, in Arcata, on Aug. 24, 2024. Due to the high cost of housing and education, some students at the university lived in their vehicles on campus prior to the university, prohibiting them from doing so in the fall of 2023. Chen, a sociology graduate student, said that finding affordable housing near the university is challenging and only possible for him this year after moving in with his partner and receiving a fellowship that can be applied toward rent. \u003ccite>(Alexandra Hootnick for CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“When that announcement happened in November, it was just a wrench into a lot of people’s livelihoods, let alone academic success,” Chen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jackson said he was disappointed that the bill was “mischaracterized” by the educational systems as encouraging students to live in their cars as opposed to more effective interventions. Moving forward, now that the legislature is on a break until January, Jackson said he will be scheduling a meeting with the Cal State and California Community Colleges chancellors to see if “there’s ways that we can still get this done.” If not, he will be reintroducing the bill next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Student Senate for the Community Colleges said they will continue to advocate for student basics needs including securing funding for dorms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jetaun Stevens, a senior staff attorney with the nonprofit law firm Public Advocates, said she hopes the bill returns with a greater coalition behind it. She said that while AB 1818 was mostly sponsored by the author, working with advocacy organizations who can co-sponsor the bill would help bring forward student stories and amplify the potential impact of the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oftentimes it does take [bills] that are somewhat controversial quite a few times before they make it across the finish line,” Stevens said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Briana Mendez-Padilla is a fellow with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12005503/this-california-college-lets-homeless-students-sleep-safely-in-their-cars-on-campus-why-dont-other-schools-do-it",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12005503"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_18540",
"news_6266",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_4020",
"news_1775",
"news_19904",
"news_3457"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_12005504",
"label": "news_18481"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"radioSearchSegmentsReducer": {},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9a90d476-aa04-455d-9a4c-0871ed6216d4/bay-curious",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/44420f75-3b0e-4301-ab3b-16da6b09e543/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Snap Judgment",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Spooked",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d800ea4c-7a2c-42f2-b861-edaf78a5db0b/the-bay",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026Reducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/news?affiliate=calmatters": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 252,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 980,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"news_12008127",
"news_12007585",
"news_12007297",
"news_12006964",
"news_12006589",
"news_12006322",
"news_12006176",
"news_12005909",
"news_12005515",
"news_12005718",
"news_12005655",
"news_12005503"
],
"complete": true
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"newslettersReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"newsletters": {},
"isSubscribing": false,
"isUnsubscribing": false,
"subscribedNewsletters": {}
},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"careers": {
"name": "Careers",
"type": "terms",
"id": "careers",
"slug": "careers",
"link": "/careers",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"newsletters": {
"name": "newsletters",
"type": "terms",
"id": "newsletters",
"slug": "newsletters",
"link": "/newsletters",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news_affiliate_calmatters": {
"isLoading": true
},
"news_18481": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18481",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18481",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "CALmatters",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "affiliate",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "CALmatters Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18515,
"slug": "calmatters",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/affiliate/calmatters"
},
"news_457": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_457",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "457",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 16998,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/health"
},
"news_8": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_8",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "8",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 8,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/news"
},
"news_356": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_356",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "356",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Science",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Science Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 364,
"slug": "science",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/science"
},
"news_248": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_248",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "248",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Technology",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Technology Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 256,
"slug": "technology",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/technology"
},
"news_20402": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20402",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20402",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "FDA",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "FDA Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20419,
"slug": "fda",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/fda"
},
"news_18543": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18543",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18543",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 466,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/health"
},
"news_33747": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33747",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33747",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33764,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/health"
},
"news_33733": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33733",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33733",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33750,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/news"
},
"news_33737": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33737",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33737",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Science",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Science Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33754,
"slug": "science",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/science"
},
"news_33732": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33732",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33732",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Technology",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Technology Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33749,
"slug": "technology",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/technology"
},
"news_31795": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_31795",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "31795",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 31812,
"slug": "california",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/california"
},
"news_1758": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1758",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1758",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Economy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Full coverage of the economy",
"title": "Economy Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2648,
"slug": "economy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/economy"
},
"news_402": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_402",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "402",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California budget",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California budget Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 410,
"slug": "california-budget",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/california-budget"
},
"news_3651": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3651",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3651",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California economy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California economy Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3669,
"slug": "california-economy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/california-economy"
},
"news_34586": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34586",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34586",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Silicon Valley",
"slug": "silicon-valley",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Silicon Valley | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34603,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/silicon-valley"
},
"news_423": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_423",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "423",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "taxes",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "taxes Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 432,
"slug": "taxes",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/taxes"
},
"news_1631": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1631",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1631",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Technology",
"slug": "technology",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Technology | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 1643,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/technology"
},
"news_33738": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33738",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33738",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33755,
"slug": "california",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/california"
},
"news_18540": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18540",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18540",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Education Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2595,
"slug": "education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/education"
},
"news_30911": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_30911",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "30911",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "california schools",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "california schools Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 30928,
"slug": "california-schools",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/california-schools"
},
"news_20013": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20013",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20013",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "education Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20030,
"slug": "education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/education"
},
"news_34263": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34263",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34263",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Extreme Heat",
"slug": "extreme-heat",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Extreme Heat Archives | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34280,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/extreme-heat"
},
"news_18578": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18578",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18578",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "heat wave",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "heat wave Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18595,
"slug": "heat-wave",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/heat-wave"
},
"news_33746": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33746",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33746",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Education Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33763,
"slug": "education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/education"
},
"news_6266": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_6266",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "6266",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6290,
"slug": "housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/housing"
},
"news_13": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_13",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "13",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Politics",
"slug": "politics",
"taxonomy": "category",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Politics | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 13,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/politics"
},
"news_3921": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3921",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3921",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "affordable housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "affordable housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3940,
"slug": "affordable-housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/affordable-housing"
},
"news_4020": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_4020",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "4020",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Homelessness",
"slug": "homelessness",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Homelessness | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "index"
},
"ttid": 4039,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/homelessness"
},
"news_1775": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1775",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1775",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1790,
"slug": "housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/housing"
},
"news_33739": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33739",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33739",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33756,
"slug": "housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/housing"
},
"news_16": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_16",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "16",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Gavin Newsom",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Gavin Newsom Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 16,
"slug": "gavin-newsom",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/gavin-newsom"
},
"news_4961": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_4961",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "4961",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "school funding",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "school funding Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4980,
"slug": "school-funding",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/school-funding"
},
"news_352": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_352",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "352",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "layoffs",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "layoffs Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 360,
"slug": "layoffs",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/layoffs"
},
"news_34165": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34165",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34165",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Climate",
"slug": "climate",
"taxonomy": "category",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Climate Archives | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34182,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/climate"
},
"news_29692": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_29692",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "29692",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Athletics",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Athletics Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 29709,
"slug": "athletics",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/athletics"
},
"news_2231": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_2231",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "2231",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Football",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Football Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2246,
"slug": "football",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/football"
},
"news_21164": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_21164",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "21164",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "heatwave",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "heatwave Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21181,
"slug": "heatwave",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/heatwave"
},
"news_3457": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3457",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3457",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Students",
"slug": "students",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Students | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 3475,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/students"
},
"news_33750": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33750",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33750",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Climate",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Climate Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33767,
"slug": "climate",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/climate"
},
"news_34558": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34558",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34558",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "auto",
"slug": "auto",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "auto | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 34575,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/auto"
},
"news_1202": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1202",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1202",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "cars",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "cars Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1214,
"slug": "cars",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/cars"
},
"news_2960": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_2960",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "2960",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "legislation",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "legislation Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2978,
"slug": "legislation",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/legislation"
},
"news_17968": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_17968",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "17968",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Politics",
"slug": "politics",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Politics | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 18002,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/politics"
},
"news_19182": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_19182",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "19182",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Apple",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Apple Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 19199,
"slug": "apple",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/apple"
},
"news_2704": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_2704",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "2704",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California Legislature",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Legislature Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2722,
"slug": "california-legislature",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/california-legislature"
},
"news_17636": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_17636",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "17636",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "DMV",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "DMV Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 17670,
"slug": "dmv",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/dmv"
},
"news_17940": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_17940",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "17940",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Drivers' Licenses",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Drivers' Licenses Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 17974,
"slug": "drivers-licenses",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/drivers-licenses"
},
"news_610": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_610",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "610",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "iPhone",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "iPhone Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 619,
"slug": "iphone",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/iphone"
},
"news_27626": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_27626",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "27626",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "featured-news",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "featured-news Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 27643,
"slug": "featured-news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/featured-news"
},
"news_19904": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_19904",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "19904",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Labor",
"slug": "labor",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Labor | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 19921,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/labor"
},
"news_18538": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18538",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18538",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 31,
"slug": "california",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/california"
},
"news_1760": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1760",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1760",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Jobs",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Jobs Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1773,
"slug": "jobs",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/jobs"
}
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
}
}
