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"slug": "national-park-service-california-yosemite-muir-woods-trump-executive-order",
"title": "As Trump Targets National Parks that 'Disparage Americans,’ Advocates Warn California History Is At Stake",
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"headTitle": "As Trump Targets National Parks that ‘Disparage Americans,’ Advocates Warn California History Is At Stake | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>When U.S. National Park Service staff found out this spring that they were being instructed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049405/muir-woods-national-monument-exhibit-removal-trump-executive-order-national-parks-history-under-construction-sticky-notes\">scrub entire parks of any materials that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living”\u003c/a> reactions among workers ranged from disbelief to anger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes I’m raging. Sometimes I’m in denial,” said one park superintendent, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation and losing their job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It had already been a chaotic year for national parks under President Donald Trump’s second administration. First came the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030343/layoffs-have-hit-the-beloved-national-park-service-how-will-it-affect-your-visit\">attempt to fire thousands of employees\u003c/a> of the National Park Service and impose a hiring freeze — followed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-funding-cuts-to-national-parks-may-harm-the-communities-around-them\">threats to cut billions in funding\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12046147/incredibly-short-sighted-land-conservation-groups-rally-against-gop-proposal-to-sell-off-public-lands-like-tahoe\">sell off federal lands\u003c/a>, including some less popular \u003ca href=\"https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-plan-could-offload-hundreds-of-national-park-sites-to-states/\">national parks\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in March, Trump issued an executive order called “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049405/muir-woods-national-monument-exhibit-removal-trump-executive-order-national-parks-history-under-construction-sticky-notes\">Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History\u003c/a>.” It ordered staff working at all National Park Service locations to remove any content that casts Americans in a negative light from parks, monuments and memorials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s thrown staff into further chaos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12029489\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12029489\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A volunteer for the National Park Service welcomes visitors at the Exploration Center in Yosemite Valley, at Yosemite National Park on March 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Laure Andrillon/AFP via Getty)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Things that would normally take us years to do, like exhibit development, we’re trying to figure out how to wholesale make changes that many of us are morally opposed to in weeks,” the anonymous superintendent said. “It’s kind of wild.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many parks staffers are wary of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12053078/yosemite-biologist-fired-after-hanging-transgender-pride-flag-from-el-capitan\">speaking up\u003c/a> on the record. “There’s worry and fear that telling the truth can get them in trouble,” said Neal Desai, Pacific regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the nation, from Yosemite National Park in California to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., staff are now grappling with what the anonymous superintendent called a “Herculean” task: Inspect, document and potentially change or cover up thousands of signs ahead of a looming September deadline from the federal government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Monday, \u003cem>The Washington Post\u003c/em> reported that the Trump administration has already ordered \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/09/15/national-parks-slavery-information-removal/\">the removal of exhibits related to slavery at multiple parks\u003c/a>, including at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park in West Virginia and the President’s House Site in Philadelphia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Staff and advocates at California’s iconic national parks say they’re especially worried about the potential threat to the state’s cultural memory — and that the very nature of historical truth is now at stake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#contact-author\">Want to contact this story’s author?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Chaos and confusion\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history/\">Trump’s order\u003c/a> addressed what it called a “distorted narrative” about American history — one the White House claimed was permeating the country’s national parks, monuments and other federal institutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In demanding the signage review, Trump instructed parks staff to “focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people” and “the beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape.”[aside postID=news_12049405 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/Muir-Woods-Exhibit-1.png']“Interpretive materials that disproportionately emphasize negative aspects of U.S. history or historical figures, without acknowledging broader context or national progress, can unintentionally distort understanding rather than enrich it,” the National Park Service told KQED in an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dismay and disbelief among park staff were instantaneous. “This is the fascist playbook,” said one park ranger, who also wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. “You silence the voices that are inconvenient to you, and you control history, you control the narratives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum\u003ca href=\"https://www.doi.gov/document-library/secretary-order/so-3431-restoring-truth-and-sanity-american-history\"> doubled down on Trump’s order in May\u003c/a>, further instructing parks to report on any statues or monuments that had been \u003cem>removed \u003c/em>since 2020 at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, including Confederate monuments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Waysigns, interpretive signs, exhibits, brochures, films screened within park buildings, even merchandise sold in park kiosks and bookstores — according to the orders, all of it had to be entered into a federal database for the government’s review. \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/06/10/nx-s1-5429773/national-park-service-signs\">Staff were also ordered to post new signs around parks land\u003c/a> urging the public to submit feedback online about parks and their signage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Frankly, it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen in this country,” California Rep. Jared Huffman, who serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources, told KQED. In August, Huffman \u003ca href=\"https://democrats-naturalresources.house.gov/imo/media/doc/FINAL_Format_Opposition%20to%20Censorship%20at%20NPS.pdf\">co-authored a letter\u003c/a> in response to the White House’s orders, requesting the rationale for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12056560/north-bay-lawmaker-calls-out-trump-for-whitewashing-national-parks\">“ongoing efforts to rewrite history,”\u003c/a> and asking for more information about \u003cem>who \u003c/em>within the federal government would ultimately decide what can or can’t go in national parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055103\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250904-PRESIDIOHIKES-04-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055103\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250904-PRESIDIOHIKES-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250904-PRESIDIOHIKES-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250904-PRESIDIOHIKES-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250904-PRESIDIOHIKES-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Inspiration Point overlook in the Presidio of San Francisco on Sept. 4, 2025, looks out over the Bay and Alcatraz. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And in a state with as many parks resources and visitorship as California, the orders required a particularly enormous undertaking. The state has nine major national parks — the most of any state across the country — including Yosemite and Joshua Tree, each of which regularly receives 3 to 4 million visitors annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s not to mention \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm?s=CA&ps=21\">the dozens of smaller national historic landmarks, smaller parks, monuments and historic trails\u003c/a> on a scale matched only by Washington, D.C., including Alcatraz, the Presidio and Fort Point just in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Unknown judges, unclear timeline\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Who exactly within the federal government would make the final decisions on thousands of signs — covering hundreds of years of history — remains unclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Huffman said he has yet to receive any response to the Committee on Natural Resources’ queries. And the NPS did not respond to KQED’s query on who is evaluating submissions, saying only that they are done “manually.”[aside postID=news_12030343 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandGetty2-1020x681.jpg']As first \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/climate/national-parks-trump-americans-censorship.html\">reported by \u003cem>The New York Times\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, the federal government originally told parks they’d know which exhibits were slated for removal by Wednesday. The anonymous superintendent said staff were initially told that a panel of subject matter experts would issue a memo on what should ultimately be removed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in mid-August, they were told they’d instead only “receive an email that identified which submissions were in conflict, but not tell us what exactly was considered problematic or why,” the superintendent said. And when the emails came, they didn’t make clear exactly \u003cem>when \u003c/em>staff should pull down any material that had been, in the government’s words, “found to be out of conformance.” (The NPS did not respond to KQED’s questions about the timeline for removals.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, the confusing rollout has put the onus on parks staff to “determine what someone thought was in conflict” with the order, the superintendent said, and then decide themselves how to move forward in a way they think the federal government wants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Which is really frustrating,” they said. “Do we change a word in a sentence, or do we take down a whole exhibit? Or somewhere in between?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But one of the first high-profile examples of such removal has already happened here in California — offering insight into the kind of history that’s being targeted.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Change already comes for California\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With its towering redwoods, Muir Woods National Monument is one of California’s most popular parks, with annual visitorship of \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/reservations.htm#:~:text=In%20the%20last%20decade%20Muir,thereby%20improving%20the%20visitor%20experience.\">more than a million people.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2021, Muir Woods park rangers developed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049405/muir-woods-national-monument-exhibit-removal-trump-executive-order-national-parks-history-under-construction-sticky-notes\">an exhibit called “History Under Construction,”\u003c/a> which took the form of sticky notes placed on a permanent sign. The sticky notes represented an effort to add context to the park’s history, highlighting the foundational roles of women and Indigenous people in its creation and the oftentimes racist and violent past of its more notable founders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055806\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-04-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055806\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christine Lehnertz, president & CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, stands in Muir Woods National Monument on Sept. 12, 2025. The park is home to some of the last remaining stands of old-growth coast redwoods in the Bay Area. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Part of our duty in the National Park Service is to tell the full story” of Muir Woods’ stewardship, the exhibit read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in mid-July, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049405/muir-woods-national-monument-exhibit-removal-trump-executive-order-national-parks-history-under-construction-sticky-notes\">Muir Woods staff removed the sticky note exhibit altogether\u003c/a>, with a spokesperson for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area confirming its removal was prompted by Trump’s executive order.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The swiftness of the Muir Woods removal was jarring to some observers. “We were surprised that changes happened at Muir Woods so quickly,” said Chris Lehnertz, president and CEO of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.parksconservancy.org/\">Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy\u003c/a>, the nonprofit partner of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/index.htm\">Golden Gate National Recreation Area\u003c/a>, which manages Muir Woods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Muir Woods removal was ordered by a higher-up outside of the park, according to Lehnertz and an anonymous source with knowledge of the exhibit’s development. The National Park Service did not reply to KQED’s request for confirmation of the directive’s source.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The federal government has yet to make widespread directives to parks staff to enact removals. Yet preemptive changes within other national parks have already been witnessed — with apparent anxiety over landing in the White House’s crosshairs even pre-dating the “Restoring Truth and Sanity” executive order.[aside postID=news_12049014 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/S_ElYose1_ENLARGED.jpg']As \u003ca href=\"https://www.resistancerangers.org/rangers-uncensored\">documented by the Resistance Rangers advocacy group\u003c/a>, the website for New York’s \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/diff/20250526052358/20250604180857/https:/www.nps.gov/ston/learn/historyculture.htm\">Stonewall National Monument\u003c/a> was altered in February to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/02/14/g-s1-48923/stonewall-monument-transgender-park-service\">remove references to transgender people\u003c/a>. Language on other national park websites was removed in February and then restored, including information about \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/us/politics/national-park-service-harriet-tubman-underground-railroad-dei.html\">abolitionist leader Harriet Tubman\u003c/a> on an NPS webpage about the Underground Railroad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, \u003ca href=\"https://richmondside.org/2025/02/04/rosie-riveter-museum-temporarily-removes-lgbtq-exhibit/\">as reported by \u003cem>Richmondside,\u003c/em>\u003c/a> a handful of staff members at \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/rori/index.htm\">Rosie the Riveter World War II Homefront National Historic Park\u003c/a> briefly removed an exhibit focused on the LGBTQ+ history of the region right after Trump’s inauguration in January, before putting it back up a few days later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s an anxious time to be a superintendent,” Lehnertz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Donna Graves, an independent historian who helped develop the Rosie the Riveter Park back in 2000, said Rosie is the kind of national park site where “inclusive storytelling permeates every aspect of the exhibits in the visitor center, the handouts, the films that are shown.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parks staff found themselves in a quandary, said Graves, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12053628/richmond-rally-national-parks-trump-white-house-rosie-the-riveter-world-war-ii-homefront\">who organized a rally against the order in August\u003c/a>. Should employees submit every piece of content in the park for federal review, “seeing it as sort of flooding the zone”?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Others took the stance of, ‘Well, we’re not ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history/\">\u003cem>inappropriately’\u003c/em>\u003c/a> disparaging anybody. We think what we’re doing is appropriate,’” Graves said. “So they did not report any content.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Hard history’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The idea of taking a second look at history isn’t actually new for the National Park Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lehnertz said when Jonathan Jarvis was parks director from 2009 to 2017, he made a sweeping effort to broaden the narratives on display, shifting from a previous focus on military and political history to including individuals’ stories, expanding the timeline to before the country’s founding and “opening up the story” of American history, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055735\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250911-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNAGE-MD-07_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055735\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250911-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNAGE-MD-07_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250911-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNAGE-MD-07_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250911-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNAGE-MD-07_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250911-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNAGE-MD-07_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jonathan Jarvis sits outside of his home in Pinole on Sept. 11, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Jarvis, she said, “helped us understand that the preamble to the Constitution — ‘We, the people’ — means ‘We, \u003cem>all \u003c/em>the people; we, \u003cem>all \u003c/em>the stories.’ And that means hard history sometimes,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By contrast, the Trump administration’s approach to revisiting history “isn’t an honest exercise,” argued National Parks Conservation Association’s Desai.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s premeditated — there’s a goal in mind at the end,” Desai said. “They’re not really looking at all these things in a critical way or in a scholarly way. It’s about: ‘We want to erase certain parts of history, and clamp down on the Park Service from providing Americans with a full picture.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jarvis — who lives in Contra Costa County after retiring from NPS — agreed. Had he still been at the helm of national parks, Jarvis said, he’d have “gone upstairs and told them this was a really stupid idea.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just the task of it in of itself is completely daunting,” he said. “To think that there’s going to be somebody back there with either the intelligence — or the capacity — to somehow give a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to a sign that is in some visitor center in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm\">Dinosaur National Monument\u003c/a> that talks about evolution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s absurd,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Going backwards’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The federal government’s orders are forcing national parks around the country to review hundreds of years of history — events that often sharply illustrate the human cost of that state’s development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In states including \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pennsylvania\u003c/span>, Florida, Tennessee and Louisiana, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/climate/trump-national-park-service-history-changes.html?unlocked_article_code=1.YU8.pD7e.gGRCQPevwA7m&smid=url-share\">staff have been asked to flag mentions of slavery\u003c/a> for possible removal.[aside postID=news_12054083 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-1020x681.jpg']In California, where the arrival of white settlers in the 1840s and the subsequent Gold Rush sparked \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/articles/native-american-genocide-california-apology\">a decades-long genocide of Native Americans\u003c/a> that killed tens of thousands of people, parks staffers must decide how to deal with this state’s painful history around its Indigenous communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Sharaya Souza, co-founder of the \u003ca href=\"https://americanindianculturaldistrict.org/\">American Indian Cultural District in San Francisco\u003c/a> who previously served on the \u003ca href=\"https://nahc.ca.gov/\">California Native American Heritage Commission\u003c/a>, first heard about the changes National Park Service staff had made to their own Muir Woods “History Under Construction” exhibit, she said she was “sad but not surprised.” (Souza spoke to KQED on her own behalf and not for the organizations she works with.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Souza, who is Taos Pueblo, Ute and Kiowa — in addition to being of both Spanish and Brazilian heritage — also pointed out just how small the additions acknowledging Indigenous history on the NPS sign had been. “That’s all [Native people] got: Post-it notes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Souza has worked to elevate Indigenous history across the Bay Area — including a \u003ca href=\"https://americanindianculturaldistrict.org/indigenizesf\">current partnership with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art\u003c/a>, which, via an effort known as placekeeping, aims to identify and reimagine statues, monuments and street names in the city that honor people who contributed to the genocide of Native Americans. This kind of work is “letting people know the full history of what happened here,” Souza said. “And yes, some of it was a hard history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11826151/how-do-we-heal-toppling-the-myth-of-junipero-serra\">The state’s history of violence toward its Native communities\u003c/a> has \u003ca href=\"https://www.hcn.org/issues/51-7/tribal-affairs-indigenous-educators-fight-for-an-accurate-history-of-california-missions/\">long gone ignored in California\u003c/a>, but in recent years, many national parks across California have \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/places/000/yosemite-museum.htm\">begun to acknowledge\u003c/a> that brutal history in their programming or signage — even though Souza said there’s still a long way to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And tribes’ relationships with the parks haven’t always been smooth either, advocate Morning Star Gali said. A member of the Ajumawi band of the Pit River Tribe and the founder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.indigenousjustice.org/\">Indigenous Justice\u003c/a>, Gali is also the California Tribal and Community Liaison for the International Indian Treaty Council, coordinating the \u003ca href=\"https://www.iitc.org/2024-indigenous-peoples-day-alcatraz-sunrise-gathering/\">annual Sunrise Gathering for Alcatraz Island\u003c/a>. She has been driving work to \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB2022/id/2571917\">remove racist place names\u003c/a> and add signage, particularly to NPS sites like Alcatraz, that acknowledge its Indigenous history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gali said that while staff and leadership at some parks have \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30927\">supported their efforts\u003c/a>, many are limited in the changes they can make — and others have dragged their feet in allowing tribes to access and use their sacred land or have scrutinized their practices and religious expression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055805\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNS-MD-04-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055805\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNS-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNS-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNS-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNS-MD-04-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Morning Star Gali stands in front of Wahpepah’s Kitchen at Fruitvale Station in Oakland on Sept. 12, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Where do we go when we’re shut out of our sacred places?” she said. “Where do we go when we’re no longer allowed into both state and federal sites?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Souza agreed: “We’ve kind of become \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Indian_in_the_Cupboard\">the Indian in the Cupboard\u003c/a>,” she said. “You take them out when you want to play with them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But you put them back in the cupboard when it comes to actually elevating that truth-telling, and it’s out of some sort of fear that it’s going to increase ‘a sense of national shame,’” she said, \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history/\">referencing the language used in Trump’s executive order\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m a little afraid of the direction that we are going,” Souza said. “That we’re going backwards from all the progress that we’ve made over the years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘A white nationalist effort’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Another aspect of California history that many worry could be erased: the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These events are commemorated at the National Park Service’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/manz/index.htm\">Manzanar National Historic Site\u003c/a> in the Eastern Sierra, where around 11,000 people were incarcerated. Around the country, well over \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/japanese-american-incarceration-during-ww2/asian-americans-video/\">100,000 people were imprisoned\u003c/a> this way.[aside postID=news_12047124 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/Sonora-Pass-3-1-2000x1276.jpg']Survivors of Japanese American incarceration have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021919/bay-area-japanese-americans-draw-on-wwii-trauma-resist-deportation-threats\">among the most vocal\u003c/a> against the Trump administration’s detainment and deportation of immigrants, after the president used the same law deployed against them in the 1940s — the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 — \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/04/18/nx-s1-5369579/supreme-court-block-deportations-venezuelans\">to attempt to deport Venezuelans being held at a Texas detention center\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, advocates are worried the history they’ve fought so hard to tell \u003ca href=\"https://www.mammothtimes.com/news/never-again-is-now-day-of-action-held-in-defense-of-national-parks-history/article_3de956aa-c1ca-4e9d-b0ea-2ebc99f6031d.html\">will be at risk once again\u003c/a>. The story told at Manzanar is “a cautionary tale,” said Bruce Embrey, who co-chairs the Manzanar Committee that his mother, who was incarcerated at Manzanar, co-founded in 1970.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Embrey, the signage review at parks like Manzanar is “a white nationalist effort to erase our history,” he said — and he believes that “if they cannot rewrite the narrative of the Smithsonian or Manzanar or the various sites around this country, they will close them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lehnertz said it’s stories like those on display at Manzanar that are most needed in parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10614867\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10614867\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks.jpg\" alt=\"A reconstructed barrack at the Manzanar National Historic Site, west of Death Valley.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1158\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks-400x241.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks-800x483.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks-1440x869.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks-1400x844.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks-1180x712.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks-960x579.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A reconstructed barrack at the Manzanar National Historic Site, west of Death Valley. \u003ccite>(Susan Valot)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The United States does not put its history into secret boxes,” she said. “It shares its history openly, and that’s what makes America great, is our willingness to sometimes disagree.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And our willingness to commit resources to a rigorous understanding of history, even when it disagrees with our family’s experience of history,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>An uncertain future\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Regardless of the federal government’s final decisions, many staffers are worried about the degrading effect that any hasty revision of information will have on the parks — and on visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Normally, the anonymous superintendent said, they would work with historians, biologists and other subject matter experts to help develop park signage.[aside postID=news_12053628 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0006_GH-KQED.jpg']Signs also have to be accessible — often featuring braille or sitting at wheelchair height — and parks staff will often consult with tribal communities or descendants of the historical figure they’re writing about. Parks advocates have even argued the changes demanded by the executive order violate their \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/cultural-and-natural-resource-consultation.htm\">legal obligation to consult with tribes\u003c/a> before making significant changes to parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re talking millions of dollars here in terms of process and years of work to do a full exhibit, and the signage, and all the interpretive materials that go with,” former NPS leader Jarvis said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the absence of those funds, covered-up signs will likely become a familiar sight to visitors, said Jesse Chakrin, the executive director of \u003ca href=\"https://www.peopleinparks.org/index.html\">Fund for People in Parks\u003c/a>. Chakrin’s group works with small or lesser-known parks in the West on elements like signage that aren’t typically funded by federal dollars — “a long and slow process,” which can cost up to $5,000 for a single sign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an era of reduced staffing, Chakrin said, these signs “may be the only way that a visitor actually better understands the park location that they’re in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Chakrin’s biggest concern is that even if no more sign removal orders ever materialize, the order is so broad — and the penalties so nebulous — that parks staff will simply self-censor out of fear of retribution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055812\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-42-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055812\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-42-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-42-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-42-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-42-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The entrance to Muir Woods National Monument on Sept. 12, 2025. Part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the monument protects one of the last old-growth coast redwood forests in the Bay Area. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“People will stop telling full and complete stories,” he said. “People will start to think about the ways that they can be careful so as to not offend.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This puts parks staff in a moral quandary, Jarvis said, with many feeling the order runs counter to the park service’s mission “to tell these stories authentically and based on the best scholarship in science.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s essentially a violation of that responsibility,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Visitors speak up\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Amid all this turmoil, staff and advocates say that visitors have yet to see the biggest effects of the orders. Nonprofit partners like “friends” groups have been backfilling a lot of public-facing roles, as have seasonal staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Visitors aren’t really seeing the full impact because of this veneer, this facade, of keeping parks ‘open and accessible’,” the superintendent said — referring to \u003ca href=\"https://www.doi.gov/document-library/secretary-order/so-3426-ensuring-national-parks-are-open-and-accessible\">another secretarial order\u003c/a> that mandates parks keep functioning even amid \u003ca href=\"https://federalnewsnetwork.com/hiring-retention/2025/02/what-the-hiring-freeze-means-for-the-national-park-service-as-it-was-just-about-to-start-finding-seasonal-employees/\">severe staffing shortages\u003c/a>.[aside postID=news_12053078 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/YosemiteTransFlagGetty.jpg']“Meanwhile, everything on the back end is falling apart.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing that might give parks staff solace: Across California, the federally mandated signs urging the public to join the review of parks signage have so far not borne much fruit for the Trump administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a copy of the public submissions received by California parks and provided to KQED by the National Parks Conservation Association, out of around 300 entries across the state’s national parks sites from June and July of this year, just four were elevated for review — all of which critiqued the Muir Woods “History Under Construction” exhibit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A handful of others alerted parks staff to infrastructure issues with bathrooms or fading signs that need replacing. But nearly all of the rest of the submissions were either in praise of rangers and parks staff or offering complimentary views of existing signage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And hundreds of public comments were submitted specifically in protest of the signage order — commending displays at parks that highlighted Indigenous history and climate change. Manzanar, especially, wrote one visitor, “is an example that the beauty and grandeur of our constitution can never be taken for granted,” making reference to \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history/\">the language of Trump’s executive order\u003c/a>. Another comment about Yosemite urged parks staff to “continue to educate people about the Native Americans who were displaced in this area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053665\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053665\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0002_GH-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0002_GH-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0002_GH-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0002_GH-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supporters line the walkway with signs spelling “Protect Our Park” during the National Parks Conservation Association’s Day of Action at Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California, on Aug. 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Parks advocates said the results of the public submissions give them hope that, amid everything, park visitors see the value in telling the whole story of American history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“History aims to improve the nation by learning the lessons of the past,” Lehnertz said. “And the openness of any individual American to learning that, in my experience, has been 99% to 1%.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or as Graves put it: “They’ve said over and over — ‘We want to know the whole truth. Don’t dumb down our history.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca id=\"contact-author\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>Reporter Sarah Wright can be securely reached on Signal: @sarahfbw.153\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Everything from national park exhibits to gift store merchandise is now under review by the Trump administration for materials that \"inappropriately disparage Americans.\" Advocates ask: What will this mean for California parks like Yosemite?\r\n",
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"title": "As Trump Targets National Parks that 'Disparage Americans,’ Advocates Warn California History Is At Stake | KQED",
"description": "Everything from national park exhibits to gift store merchandise is now under review by the Trump administration for materials that "inappropriately disparage Americans." Advocates ask: What will this mean for California parks like Yosemite?\r\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When U.S. National Park Service staff found out this spring that they were being instructed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049405/muir-woods-national-monument-exhibit-removal-trump-executive-order-national-parks-history-under-construction-sticky-notes\">scrub entire parks of any materials that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living”\u003c/a> reactions among workers ranged from disbelief to anger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes I’m raging. Sometimes I’m in denial,” said one park superintendent, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation and losing their job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It had already been a chaotic year for national parks under President Donald Trump’s second administration. First came the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030343/layoffs-have-hit-the-beloved-national-park-service-how-will-it-affect-your-visit\">attempt to fire thousands of employees\u003c/a> of the National Park Service and impose a hiring freeze — followed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-funding-cuts-to-national-parks-may-harm-the-communities-around-them\">threats to cut billions in funding\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12046147/incredibly-short-sighted-land-conservation-groups-rally-against-gop-proposal-to-sell-off-public-lands-like-tahoe\">sell off federal lands\u003c/a>, including some less popular \u003ca href=\"https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-plan-could-offload-hundreds-of-national-park-sites-to-states/\">national parks\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in March, Trump issued an executive order called “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049405/muir-woods-national-monument-exhibit-removal-trump-executive-order-national-parks-history-under-construction-sticky-notes\">Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History\u003c/a>.” It ordered staff working at all National Park Service locations to remove any content that casts Americans in a negative light from parks, monuments and memorials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s thrown staff into further chaos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12029489\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12029489\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A volunteer for the National Park Service welcomes visitors at the Exploration Center in Yosemite Valley, at Yosemite National Park on March 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Laure Andrillon/AFP via Getty)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Things that would normally take us years to do, like exhibit development, we’re trying to figure out how to wholesale make changes that many of us are morally opposed to in weeks,” the anonymous superintendent said. “It’s kind of wild.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many parks staffers are wary of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12053078/yosemite-biologist-fired-after-hanging-transgender-pride-flag-from-el-capitan\">speaking up\u003c/a> on the record. “There’s worry and fear that telling the truth can get them in trouble,” said Neal Desai, Pacific regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the nation, from Yosemite National Park in California to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., staff are now grappling with what the anonymous superintendent called a “Herculean” task: Inspect, document and potentially change or cover up thousands of signs ahead of a looming September deadline from the federal government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Monday, \u003cem>The Washington Post\u003c/em> reported that the Trump administration has already ordered \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/09/15/national-parks-slavery-information-removal/\">the removal of exhibits related to slavery at multiple parks\u003c/a>, including at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park in West Virginia and the President’s House Site in Philadelphia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Staff and advocates at California’s iconic national parks say they’re especially worried about the potential threat to the state’s cultural memory — and that the very nature of historical truth is now at stake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#contact-author\">Want to contact this story’s author?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Chaos and confusion\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history/\">Trump’s order\u003c/a> addressed what it called a “distorted narrative” about American history — one the White House claimed was permeating the country’s national parks, monuments and other federal institutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In demanding the signage review, Trump instructed parks staff to “focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people” and “the beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Interpretive materials that disproportionately emphasize negative aspects of U.S. history or historical figures, without acknowledging broader context or national progress, can unintentionally distort understanding rather than enrich it,” the National Park Service told KQED in an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dismay and disbelief among park staff were instantaneous. “This is the fascist playbook,” said one park ranger, who also wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. “You silence the voices that are inconvenient to you, and you control history, you control the narratives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum\u003ca href=\"https://www.doi.gov/document-library/secretary-order/so-3431-restoring-truth-and-sanity-american-history\"> doubled down on Trump’s order in May\u003c/a>, further instructing parks to report on any statues or monuments that had been \u003cem>removed \u003c/em>since 2020 at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, including Confederate monuments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Waysigns, interpretive signs, exhibits, brochures, films screened within park buildings, even merchandise sold in park kiosks and bookstores — according to the orders, all of it had to be entered into a federal database for the government’s review. \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/06/10/nx-s1-5429773/national-park-service-signs\">Staff were also ordered to post new signs around parks land\u003c/a> urging the public to submit feedback online about parks and their signage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Frankly, it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen in this country,” California Rep. Jared Huffman, who serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources, told KQED. In August, Huffman \u003ca href=\"https://democrats-naturalresources.house.gov/imo/media/doc/FINAL_Format_Opposition%20to%20Censorship%20at%20NPS.pdf\">co-authored a letter\u003c/a> in response to the White House’s orders, requesting the rationale for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12056560/north-bay-lawmaker-calls-out-trump-for-whitewashing-national-parks\">“ongoing efforts to rewrite history,”\u003c/a> and asking for more information about \u003cem>who \u003c/em>within the federal government would ultimately decide what can or can’t go in national parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055103\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250904-PRESIDIOHIKES-04-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055103\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250904-PRESIDIOHIKES-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250904-PRESIDIOHIKES-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250904-PRESIDIOHIKES-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250904-PRESIDIOHIKES-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Inspiration Point overlook in the Presidio of San Francisco on Sept. 4, 2025, looks out over the Bay and Alcatraz. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And in a state with as many parks resources and visitorship as California, the orders required a particularly enormous undertaking. The state has nine major national parks — the most of any state across the country — including Yosemite and Joshua Tree, each of which regularly receives 3 to 4 million visitors annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s not to mention \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm?s=CA&ps=21\">the dozens of smaller national historic landmarks, smaller parks, monuments and historic trails\u003c/a> on a scale matched only by Washington, D.C., including Alcatraz, the Presidio and Fort Point just in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Unknown judges, unclear timeline\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Who exactly within the federal government would make the final decisions on thousands of signs — covering hundreds of years of history — remains unclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Huffman said he has yet to receive any response to the Committee on Natural Resources’ queries. And the NPS did not respond to KQED’s query on who is evaluating submissions, saying only that they are done “manually.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>As first \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/climate/national-parks-trump-americans-censorship.html\">reported by \u003cem>The New York Times\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, the federal government originally told parks they’d know which exhibits were slated for removal by Wednesday. The anonymous superintendent said staff were initially told that a panel of subject matter experts would issue a memo on what should ultimately be removed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in mid-August, they were told they’d instead only “receive an email that identified which submissions were in conflict, but not tell us what exactly was considered problematic or why,” the superintendent said. And when the emails came, they didn’t make clear exactly \u003cem>when \u003c/em>staff should pull down any material that had been, in the government’s words, “found to be out of conformance.” (The NPS did not respond to KQED’s questions about the timeline for removals.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, the confusing rollout has put the onus on parks staff to “determine what someone thought was in conflict” with the order, the superintendent said, and then decide themselves how to move forward in a way they think the federal government wants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Which is really frustrating,” they said. “Do we change a word in a sentence, or do we take down a whole exhibit? Or somewhere in between?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But one of the first high-profile examples of such removal has already happened here in California — offering insight into the kind of history that’s being targeted.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Change already comes for California\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With its towering redwoods, Muir Woods National Monument is one of California’s most popular parks, with annual visitorship of \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/reservations.htm#:~:text=In%20the%20last%20decade%20Muir,thereby%20improving%20the%20visitor%20experience.\">more than a million people.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2021, Muir Woods park rangers developed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049405/muir-woods-national-monument-exhibit-removal-trump-executive-order-national-parks-history-under-construction-sticky-notes\">an exhibit called “History Under Construction,”\u003c/a> which took the form of sticky notes placed on a permanent sign. The sticky notes represented an effort to add context to the park’s history, highlighting the foundational roles of women and Indigenous people in its creation and the oftentimes racist and violent past of its more notable founders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055806\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-04-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055806\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christine Lehnertz, president & CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, stands in Muir Woods National Monument on Sept. 12, 2025. The park is home to some of the last remaining stands of old-growth coast redwoods in the Bay Area. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Part of our duty in the National Park Service is to tell the full story” of Muir Woods’ stewardship, the exhibit read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in mid-July, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049405/muir-woods-national-monument-exhibit-removal-trump-executive-order-national-parks-history-under-construction-sticky-notes\">Muir Woods staff removed the sticky note exhibit altogether\u003c/a>, with a spokesperson for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area confirming its removal was prompted by Trump’s executive order.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The swiftness of the Muir Woods removal was jarring to some observers. “We were surprised that changes happened at Muir Woods so quickly,” said Chris Lehnertz, president and CEO of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.parksconservancy.org/\">Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy\u003c/a>, the nonprofit partner of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/index.htm\">Golden Gate National Recreation Area\u003c/a>, which manages Muir Woods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Muir Woods removal was ordered by a higher-up outside of the park, according to Lehnertz and an anonymous source with knowledge of the exhibit’s development. The National Park Service did not reply to KQED’s request for confirmation of the directive’s source.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The federal government has yet to make widespread directives to parks staff to enact removals. Yet preemptive changes within other national parks have already been witnessed — with apparent anxiety over landing in the White House’s crosshairs even pre-dating the “Restoring Truth and Sanity” executive order.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>As \u003ca href=\"https://www.resistancerangers.org/rangers-uncensored\">documented by the Resistance Rangers advocacy group\u003c/a>, the website for New York’s \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/diff/20250526052358/20250604180857/https:/www.nps.gov/ston/learn/historyculture.htm\">Stonewall National Monument\u003c/a> was altered in February to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/02/14/g-s1-48923/stonewall-monument-transgender-park-service\">remove references to transgender people\u003c/a>. Language on other national park websites was removed in February and then restored, including information about \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/us/politics/national-park-service-harriet-tubman-underground-railroad-dei.html\">abolitionist leader Harriet Tubman\u003c/a> on an NPS webpage about the Underground Railroad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, \u003ca href=\"https://richmondside.org/2025/02/04/rosie-riveter-museum-temporarily-removes-lgbtq-exhibit/\">as reported by \u003cem>Richmondside,\u003c/em>\u003c/a> a handful of staff members at \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/rori/index.htm\">Rosie the Riveter World War II Homefront National Historic Park\u003c/a> briefly removed an exhibit focused on the LGBTQ+ history of the region right after Trump’s inauguration in January, before putting it back up a few days later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s an anxious time to be a superintendent,” Lehnertz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Donna Graves, an independent historian who helped develop the Rosie the Riveter Park back in 2000, said Rosie is the kind of national park site where “inclusive storytelling permeates every aspect of the exhibits in the visitor center, the handouts, the films that are shown.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parks staff found themselves in a quandary, said Graves, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12053628/richmond-rally-national-parks-trump-white-house-rosie-the-riveter-world-war-ii-homefront\">who organized a rally against the order in August\u003c/a>. Should employees submit every piece of content in the park for federal review, “seeing it as sort of flooding the zone”?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Others took the stance of, ‘Well, we’re not ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history/\">\u003cem>inappropriately’\u003c/em>\u003c/a> disparaging anybody. We think what we’re doing is appropriate,’” Graves said. “So they did not report any content.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Hard history’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The idea of taking a second look at history isn’t actually new for the National Park Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lehnertz said when Jonathan Jarvis was parks director from 2009 to 2017, he made a sweeping effort to broaden the narratives on display, shifting from a previous focus on military and political history to including individuals’ stories, expanding the timeline to before the country’s founding and “opening up the story” of American history, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055735\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250911-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNAGE-MD-07_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055735\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250911-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNAGE-MD-07_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250911-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNAGE-MD-07_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250911-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNAGE-MD-07_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250911-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNAGE-MD-07_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jonathan Jarvis sits outside of his home in Pinole on Sept. 11, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Jarvis, she said, “helped us understand that the preamble to the Constitution — ‘We, the people’ — means ‘We, \u003cem>all \u003c/em>the people; we, \u003cem>all \u003c/em>the stories.’ And that means hard history sometimes,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By contrast, the Trump administration’s approach to revisiting history “isn’t an honest exercise,” argued National Parks Conservation Association’s Desai.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s premeditated — there’s a goal in mind at the end,” Desai said. “They’re not really looking at all these things in a critical way or in a scholarly way. It’s about: ‘We want to erase certain parts of history, and clamp down on the Park Service from providing Americans with a full picture.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jarvis — who lives in Contra Costa County after retiring from NPS — agreed. Had he still been at the helm of national parks, Jarvis said, he’d have “gone upstairs and told them this was a really stupid idea.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just the task of it in of itself is completely daunting,” he said. “To think that there’s going to be somebody back there with either the intelligence — or the capacity — to somehow give a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to a sign that is in some visitor center in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm\">Dinosaur National Monument\u003c/a> that talks about evolution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s absurd,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Going backwards’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The federal government’s orders are forcing national parks around the country to review hundreds of years of history — events that often sharply illustrate the human cost of that state’s development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In states including \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pennsylvania\u003c/span>, Florida, Tennessee and Louisiana, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/climate/trump-national-park-service-history-changes.html?unlocked_article_code=1.YU8.pD7e.gGRCQPevwA7m&smid=url-share\">staff have been asked to flag mentions of slavery\u003c/a> for possible removal.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In California, where the arrival of white settlers in the 1840s and the subsequent Gold Rush sparked \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/articles/native-american-genocide-california-apology\">a decades-long genocide of Native Americans\u003c/a> that killed tens of thousands of people, parks staffers must decide how to deal with this state’s painful history around its Indigenous communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Sharaya Souza, co-founder of the \u003ca href=\"https://americanindianculturaldistrict.org/\">American Indian Cultural District in San Francisco\u003c/a> who previously served on the \u003ca href=\"https://nahc.ca.gov/\">California Native American Heritage Commission\u003c/a>, first heard about the changes National Park Service staff had made to their own Muir Woods “History Under Construction” exhibit, she said she was “sad but not surprised.” (Souza spoke to KQED on her own behalf and not for the organizations she works with.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Souza, who is Taos Pueblo, Ute and Kiowa — in addition to being of both Spanish and Brazilian heritage — also pointed out just how small the additions acknowledging Indigenous history on the NPS sign had been. “That’s all [Native people] got: Post-it notes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Souza has worked to elevate Indigenous history across the Bay Area — including a \u003ca href=\"https://americanindianculturaldistrict.org/indigenizesf\">current partnership with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art\u003c/a>, which, via an effort known as placekeeping, aims to identify and reimagine statues, monuments and street names in the city that honor people who contributed to the genocide of Native Americans. This kind of work is “letting people know the full history of what happened here,” Souza said. “And yes, some of it was a hard history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11826151/how-do-we-heal-toppling-the-myth-of-junipero-serra\">The state’s history of violence toward its Native communities\u003c/a> has \u003ca href=\"https://www.hcn.org/issues/51-7/tribal-affairs-indigenous-educators-fight-for-an-accurate-history-of-california-missions/\">long gone ignored in California\u003c/a>, but in recent years, many national parks across California have \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/places/000/yosemite-museum.htm\">begun to acknowledge\u003c/a> that brutal history in their programming or signage — even though Souza said there’s still a long way to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And tribes’ relationships with the parks haven’t always been smooth either, advocate Morning Star Gali said. A member of the Ajumawi band of the Pit River Tribe and the founder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.indigenousjustice.org/\">Indigenous Justice\u003c/a>, Gali is also the California Tribal and Community Liaison for the International Indian Treaty Council, coordinating the \u003ca href=\"https://www.iitc.org/2024-indigenous-peoples-day-alcatraz-sunrise-gathering/\">annual Sunrise Gathering for Alcatraz Island\u003c/a>. She has been driving work to \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB2022/id/2571917\">remove racist place names\u003c/a> and add signage, particularly to NPS sites like Alcatraz, that acknowledge its Indigenous history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gali said that while staff and leadership at some parks have \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30927\">supported their efforts\u003c/a>, many are limited in the changes they can make — and others have dragged their feet in allowing tribes to access and use their sacred land or have scrutinized their practices and religious expression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055805\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNS-MD-04-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055805\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNS-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNS-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNS-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMP-PARK-SIGNS-MD-04-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Morning Star Gali stands in front of Wahpepah’s Kitchen at Fruitvale Station in Oakland on Sept. 12, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Where do we go when we’re shut out of our sacred places?” she said. “Where do we go when we’re no longer allowed into both state and federal sites?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Souza agreed: “We’ve kind of become \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Indian_in_the_Cupboard\">the Indian in the Cupboard\u003c/a>,” she said. “You take them out when you want to play with them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But you put them back in the cupboard when it comes to actually elevating that truth-telling, and it’s out of some sort of fear that it’s going to increase ‘a sense of national shame,’” she said, \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history/\">referencing the language used in Trump’s executive order\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m a little afraid of the direction that we are going,” Souza said. “That we’re going backwards from all the progress that we’ve made over the years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘A white nationalist effort’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Another aspect of California history that many worry could be erased: the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These events are commemorated at the National Park Service’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/manz/index.htm\">Manzanar National Historic Site\u003c/a> in the Eastern Sierra, where around 11,000 people were incarcerated. Around the country, well over \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/japanese-american-incarceration-during-ww2/asian-americans-video/\">100,000 people were imprisoned\u003c/a> this way.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Survivors of Japanese American incarceration have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021919/bay-area-japanese-americans-draw-on-wwii-trauma-resist-deportation-threats\">among the most vocal\u003c/a> against the Trump administration’s detainment and deportation of immigrants, after the president used the same law deployed against them in the 1940s — the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 — \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/04/18/nx-s1-5369579/supreme-court-block-deportations-venezuelans\">to attempt to deport Venezuelans being held at a Texas detention center\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, advocates are worried the history they’ve fought so hard to tell \u003ca href=\"https://www.mammothtimes.com/news/never-again-is-now-day-of-action-held-in-defense-of-national-parks-history/article_3de956aa-c1ca-4e9d-b0ea-2ebc99f6031d.html\">will be at risk once again\u003c/a>. The story told at Manzanar is “a cautionary tale,” said Bruce Embrey, who co-chairs the Manzanar Committee that his mother, who was incarcerated at Manzanar, co-founded in 1970.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Embrey, the signage review at parks like Manzanar is “a white nationalist effort to erase our history,” he said — and he believes that “if they cannot rewrite the narrative of the Smithsonian or Manzanar or the various sites around this country, they will close them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lehnertz said it’s stories like those on display at Manzanar that are most needed in parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10614867\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10614867\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks.jpg\" alt=\"A reconstructed barrack at the Manzanar National Historic Site, west of Death Valley.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1158\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks-400x241.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks-800x483.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks-1440x869.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks-1400x844.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks-1180x712.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/Barracks-960x579.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A reconstructed barrack at the Manzanar National Historic Site, west of Death Valley. \u003ccite>(Susan Valot)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The United States does not put its history into secret boxes,” she said. “It shares its history openly, and that’s what makes America great, is our willingness to sometimes disagree.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And our willingness to commit resources to a rigorous understanding of history, even when it disagrees with our family’s experience of history,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>An uncertain future\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Regardless of the federal government’s final decisions, many staffers are worried about the degrading effect that any hasty revision of information will have on the parks — and on visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Normally, the anonymous superintendent said, they would work with historians, biologists and other subject matter experts to help develop park signage.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Signs also have to be accessible — often featuring braille or sitting at wheelchair height — and parks staff will often consult with tribal communities or descendants of the historical figure they’re writing about. Parks advocates have even argued the changes demanded by the executive order violate their \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/cultural-and-natural-resource-consultation.htm\">legal obligation to consult with tribes\u003c/a> before making significant changes to parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re talking millions of dollars here in terms of process and years of work to do a full exhibit, and the signage, and all the interpretive materials that go with,” former NPS leader Jarvis said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the absence of those funds, covered-up signs will likely become a familiar sight to visitors, said Jesse Chakrin, the executive director of \u003ca href=\"https://www.peopleinparks.org/index.html\">Fund for People in Parks\u003c/a>. Chakrin’s group works with small or lesser-known parks in the West on elements like signage that aren’t typically funded by federal dollars — “a long and slow process,” which can cost up to $5,000 for a single sign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an era of reduced staffing, Chakrin said, these signs “may be the only way that a visitor actually better understands the park location that they’re in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Chakrin’s biggest concern is that even if no more sign removal orders ever materialize, the order is so broad — and the penalties so nebulous — that parks staff will simply self-censor out of fear of retribution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055812\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-42-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055812\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-42-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-42-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-42-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TRUMPSSIGNAGEORDER-42-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The entrance to Muir Woods National Monument on Sept. 12, 2025. Part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the monument protects one of the last old-growth coast redwood forests in the Bay Area. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“People will stop telling full and complete stories,” he said. “People will start to think about the ways that they can be careful so as to not offend.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This puts parks staff in a moral quandary, Jarvis said, with many feeling the order runs counter to the park service’s mission “to tell these stories authentically and based on the best scholarship in science.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s essentially a violation of that responsibility,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Visitors speak up\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Amid all this turmoil, staff and advocates say that visitors have yet to see the biggest effects of the orders. Nonprofit partners like “friends” groups have been backfilling a lot of public-facing roles, as have seasonal staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Visitors aren’t really seeing the full impact because of this veneer, this facade, of keeping parks ‘open and accessible’,” the superintendent said — referring to \u003ca href=\"https://www.doi.gov/document-library/secretary-order/so-3426-ensuring-national-parks-are-open-and-accessible\">another secretarial order\u003c/a> that mandates parks keep functioning even amid \u003ca href=\"https://federalnewsnetwork.com/hiring-retention/2025/02/what-the-hiring-freeze-means-for-the-national-park-service-as-it-was-just-about-to-start-finding-seasonal-employees/\">severe staffing shortages\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Meanwhile, everything on the back end is falling apart.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing that might give parks staff solace: Across California, the federally mandated signs urging the public to join the review of parks signage have so far not borne much fruit for the Trump administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a copy of the public submissions received by California parks and provided to KQED by the National Parks Conservation Association, out of around 300 entries across the state’s national parks sites from June and July of this year, just four were elevated for review — all of which critiqued the Muir Woods “History Under Construction” exhibit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A handful of others alerted parks staff to infrastructure issues with bathrooms or fading signs that need replacing. But nearly all of the rest of the submissions were either in praise of rangers and parks staff or offering complimentary views of existing signage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And hundreds of public comments were submitted specifically in protest of the signage order — commending displays at parks that highlighted Indigenous history and climate change. Manzanar, especially, wrote one visitor, “is an example that the beauty and grandeur of our constitution can never be taken for granted,” making reference to \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history/\">the language of Trump’s executive order\u003c/a>. Another comment about Yosemite urged parks staff to “continue to educate people about the Native Americans who were displaced in this area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053665\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053665\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0002_GH-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0002_GH-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0002_GH-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0002_GH-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supporters line the walkway with signs spelling “Protect Our Park” during the National Parks Conservation Association’s Day of Action at Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California, on Aug. 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Parks advocates said the results of the public submissions give them hope that, amid everything, park visitors see the value in telling the whole story of American history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“History aims to improve the nation by learning the lessons of the past,” Lehnertz said. “And the openness of any individual American to learning that, in my experience, has been 99% to 1%.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or as Graves put it: “They’ve said over and over — ‘We want to know the whole truth. Don’t dumb down our history.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca id=\"contact-author\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>Reporter Sarah Wright can be securely reached on Signal: @sarahfbw.153\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Workers at 4 Popular Bay Area Rock Climbing Gyms Win Unionization Vote",
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"headTitle": "Workers at 4 Popular Bay Area Rock Climbing Gyms Win Unionization Vote | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Workers at some of the Bay Area’s most popular \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12042550/fun-and-affordable-sports-and-activities-to-try-in-the-bay-area\">rock climbing\u003c/a> gyms have voted to unionize, joining colleagues at five gyms in Southern California that are in contract negotiations with their employer, Touchstone Climbing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Employees of Mission Cliffs and Dogpatch Boulders in San Francisco, as well as The Studio in San Jose and Diablo Rock Gym in Concord, won their unionization votes on Monday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ I’m very excited; it’s excellent news,” said Max Dolso-Morey, a club coach at Mission Cliffs and a member of the union organizing committee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers will aim to negotiate over wages, safety and other concerns with Touchstone, the largest operator of indoor climbing gyms in the state. Dolso-Morey said one of his motivations to unionize was to advocate for more safety staff at Mission Cliffs. Though hundreds of people may use the gym at peak hours, he said, only one person will be in charge of checking that people are climbing safely, among other tasks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Accidents do happen, and usually it’s because of a lack of safety staff being able to make sure everyone is doing the correct protocols before they climb on the wall,” Dolso-Morey said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dolso-Morey said he also hopes unionizing will help workers negotiate for better wages. He said his most recent raise pushed up his wage by 4%, equal to 80 cents an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055478\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055478\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250910-MISSION-CLIFFS-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250910-MISSION-CLIFFS-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250910-MISSION-CLIFFS-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250910-MISSION-CLIFFS-MD-04-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mission Cliffs in San Francisco on Sept. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“ Living in San Francisco is diabolically expensive,” Dolso-Morey said. “If we didn’t love doing this job and being part of this community, we wouldn’t be here. So we feel that we should be paid fairly and treated with dignity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The employees, who will be known as Touchstone Workers United, have joined Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers at five Touchstone gyms in Southern California voted to unionize in March of last year and have been in negotiations with the company since September 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alex Tillett-Saks, outside counsel for Workers United, has filed five separate unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board against Touchstone on behalf of the workers. The complaints remain open.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Touchstone has shown a constant and consistent lack of regard for the employee’s desire to bargain a contract,” Tillett-Saks said.[aside postID=news_12054083 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-1020x681.jpg']Four of the complaints allege Touchstone retaliated against workers at its Southern California gyms for forming a union, including by increasing employees’ workload, removing employee perks and changing their health plan without bargaining the changes with the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One complaint, filed last week, alleges a supervisor at Dogpatch Boulders in San Francisco held a captive meeting with employees to inform them that employees were to take shorter breaks, and did so as a means to chill union activities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Touchstone Climbing did not respond to multiple requests for comment by deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company has rapidly expanded in recent years, opening three new gyms in 2024 alone for a total of 18 statewide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As any company expands, you get additional layers of leadership, and we want to make sure that no matter how many layers of leadership pop up, the employees maintain an equitable voice when it comes to the direction of the company,” said Tyler Mitchell, who works at the front desk at Diablo Rock Gym in Concord and supported the unionization effort.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote at Diablo Rock Gym included fitness, guest and belay staff, as well as coaches. Mitchell said Touchstone challenged one of the ballots, successfully excluding one employee who sometimes works less than 4 hours per week. He added that routesetters, the employees who set the routes clients climb on and work at gyms throughout the Touchstone system, would be in a different voting unit and were not included in the vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ongoing tension between Touchstone and its employees gave way to a routesetter strike in Southern California \u003ca href=\"https://www.climbing.com/news/touchstone-gym-union-routesetter-strike/\">earlier this year.\u003c/a> Some clients of Touchstone are also boycotting the company in support of the ongoing contract negotiations there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an FAQ on its website, Touchstone pushed back on the claim that it is not “coming to the table with proposals.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Touchstone regularly presents proposals during bargaining. As a company, we have a responsibility to balance the needs of all stakeholders — including principled commitments to our community, business partners, and the environment and a legal duty to shareholders,” the company wrote on its website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mitchell said he was expecting more pushback from Touchstone throughout the process and that at his gym, they have a good relationship with their management.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that Touchstone understood that this isn’t something that can really be effectively fought against, and from my perspective, personally, it seems that they accepted that this would happen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The vote, which includes Mission Cliffs and Dogpatch Boulders in San Francisco, comes amid extended contract negotiations for the company’s unionized workers in Southern California. ",
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"title": "Workers at 4 Popular Bay Area Rock Climbing Gyms Win Unionization Vote | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Workers at some of the Bay Area’s most popular \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12042550/fun-and-affordable-sports-and-activities-to-try-in-the-bay-area\">rock climbing\u003c/a> gyms have voted to unionize, joining colleagues at five gyms in Southern California that are in contract negotiations with their employer, Touchstone Climbing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Employees of Mission Cliffs and Dogpatch Boulders in San Francisco, as well as The Studio in San Jose and Diablo Rock Gym in Concord, won their unionization votes on Monday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ I’m very excited; it’s excellent news,” said Max Dolso-Morey, a club coach at Mission Cliffs and a member of the union organizing committee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers will aim to negotiate over wages, safety and other concerns with Touchstone, the largest operator of indoor climbing gyms in the state. Dolso-Morey said one of his motivations to unionize was to advocate for more safety staff at Mission Cliffs. Though hundreds of people may use the gym at peak hours, he said, only one person will be in charge of checking that people are climbing safely, among other tasks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Accidents do happen, and usually it’s because of a lack of safety staff being able to make sure everyone is doing the correct protocols before they climb on the wall,” Dolso-Morey said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dolso-Morey said he also hopes unionizing will help workers negotiate for better wages. He said his most recent raise pushed up his wage by 4%, equal to 80 cents an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055478\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055478\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250910-MISSION-CLIFFS-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250910-MISSION-CLIFFS-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250910-MISSION-CLIFFS-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250910-MISSION-CLIFFS-MD-04-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mission Cliffs in San Francisco on Sept. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“ Living in San Francisco is diabolically expensive,” Dolso-Morey said. “If we didn’t love doing this job and being part of this community, we wouldn’t be here. So we feel that we should be paid fairly and treated with dignity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The employees, who will be known as Touchstone Workers United, have joined Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers at five Touchstone gyms in Southern California voted to unionize in March of last year and have been in negotiations with the company since September 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alex Tillett-Saks, outside counsel for Workers United, has filed five separate unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board against Touchstone on behalf of the workers. The complaints remain open.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Touchstone has shown a constant and consistent lack of regard for the employee’s desire to bargain a contract,” Tillett-Saks said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Four of the complaints allege Touchstone retaliated against workers at its Southern California gyms for forming a union, including by increasing employees’ workload, removing employee perks and changing their health plan without bargaining the changes with the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One complaint, filed last week, alleges a supervisor at Dogpatch Boulders in San Francisco held a captive meeting with employees to inform them that employees were to take shorter breaks, and did so as a means to chill union activities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Touchstone Climbing did not respond to multiple requests for comment by deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company has rapidly expanded in recent years, opening three new gyms in 2024 alone for a total of 18 statewide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As any company expands, you get additional layers of leadership, and we want to make sure that no matter how many layers of leadership pop up, the employees maintain an equitable voice when it comes to the direction of the company,” said Tyler Mitchell, who works at the front desk at Diablo Rock Gym in Concord and supported the unionization effort.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote at Diablo Rock Gym included fitness, guest and belay staff, as well as coaches. Mitchell said Touchstone challenged one of the ballots, successfully excluding one employee who sometimes works less than 4 hours per week. He added that routesetters, the employees who set the routes clients climb on and work at gyms throughout the Touchstone system, would be in a different voting unit and were not included in the vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ongoing tension between Touchstone and its employees gave way to a routesetter strike in Southern California \u003ca href=\"https://www.climbing.com/news/touchstone-gym-union-routesetter-strike/\">earlier this year.\u003c/a> Some clients of Touchstone are also boycotting the company in support of the ongoing contract negotiations there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an FAQ on its website, Touchstone pushed back on the claim that it is not “coming to the table with proposals.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Touchstone regularly presents proposals during bargaining. As a company, we have a responsibility to balance the needs of all stakeholders — including principled commitments to our community, business partners, and the environment and a legal duty to shareholders,” the company wrote on its website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mitchell said he was expecting more pushback from Touchstone throughout the process and that at his gym, they have a good relationship with their management.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that Touchstone understood that this isn’t something that can really be effectively fought against, and from my perspective, personally, it seems that they accepted that this would happen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Oakland Latino Merchants Learn Rights as ICE Targets Worksites",
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"content": "\u003cp>For months, Ledy Ordoñez worried about what she would do if immigration officers arrived at her store in the heart of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>’s premier Latino neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like other local business owners with a largely immigrant clientele, she felt a responsibility to her customers but was also hampered by unanswered questions. Must she allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement into her business? Could neighboring restaurants close their doors to agents? Did customers have to answer questions if stopped?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Me and other merchants here need to get informed, so that we know how to act if ICE comes,” Ordoñez said in Spanish after helping a mother and daughter select braided bracelets from a glass display at her shop, Ecuador Imports. “We have to support our people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As immigration authorities increasingly target worksites for arrests, hundreds of managers and business owners like Ordoñez have flocked to “Know Your Rights” training events in the Bay Area specifically \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12025647/what-to-do-if-you-encounter-ice\">tailored to the workplace\u003c/a>, according to legal aid groups and worker advocates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Employers in California must navigate additional responsibilities under state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/DIRNews/2025/2025-52.html\">labor laws\u003c/a> when it comes to immigration worksite inspections or raids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055070\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12055070 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01090_TV-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01090_TV-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01090_TV-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01090_TV-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ledy Ordoñez poses for a portrait during a training session on community rights in relation to ICE enforcement, at Taqueria La Gran Chiquita in Oakland on Sept. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Employers would be breaking California law if they voluntarily allow ICE to access employee records or private areas,” said Marisa Almor, a trainer with the nonprofit East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, referring to a state\u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/AB_450_QA.pdf\"> law\u003c/a> known as the Immigrant Worker Protection Act. “So we are informing employers of what their rights are and what they should also not do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several merchants in the Fruitvale neighborhood said the more aggressive immigration crackdown they’ve watched unfold in Southern California gave them a sense of urgency to attend a recent training at Taqueria La Gran Chiquita, organized by a local business association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many attendees said they worry about the use of ethnic profiling to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052452/you-cant-trust-anyone-in-oakland-fear-of-ice-raids-grips-day-laborers\">arrest noncriminal workers\u003c/a> from warehouses, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055084/california-volunteers-stand-guard-at-day-laborer-corners-amid-ice-sweeps\">Home Depot parking lots\u003c/a> and bus stops.[aside postID=news_12025647 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-1243312873-1020x680.jpg']“What we see happening in LA is going to come up here. We have to get organized,” said Jose Antonio Dorado, who owns a bookkeeping and tax services business. “It’s only a matter of time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26085902-25a169-order/\">temporarily allowed\u003c/a> the Trump administration to continue using broad factors such as apparent ethnicity, language and occupation to conduct ICE raids in the LA area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Critics said the justices’ 6–3 decision will likely embolden federal authorities to use similar tactics in other cities and could lead to Latino U.S. citizens being erroneously targeted because of the color of their skin, Spanish language, or type of work at car washes or as day laborers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At La Gran Chiquita, stacks of flyers and handouts, including an employer preparedness checklist, greeted local merchants as they walked in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tables and chairs were moved aside to make way for couches, a projector and a white hanging sheet that functioned as a screen. At least one confused customer expecting tacos backed away after realizing the restaurant had been transformed into a classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055069\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12055069 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01050_TV-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01050_TV-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01050_TV-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01050_TV-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marisa Almor (left) answers Enrique Soriano’s (right) question about community rights in relation to ICE enforcement at Taqueria La Gran Chiquita, in Oakland, on Sept. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Almor, who taught the training, advised merchants to plan ahead on how to respond if ICE visited their businesses. The Constitution guarantees that all people on U.S. soil — regardless of their immigration status — have the right to remain silent and request a lawyer if detained, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You must establish a response protocol,” Almor said as attendees took photos of presentation slides and scribbled notes. “Talk with your employees in advance and designate who is authorized to make decisions, who should interact with law enforcement in the name of the business and coworkers and who can document the interaction at a safe distance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almor said brick-and-mortar business owners — especially in predominantly Latino areas — should identify which areas of their stores or offices are considered public versus private.[aside postID=news_12049326 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250715-ImmigrationCourtProtests-07-BL_qed.jpg']The distinction is important because California employers don’t have to allow ICE into private spaces unless they present a valid judicial warrant, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s rare for immigration agents to carry a judicial warrant,” Almor said, pointing out the differences between that document and the administrative orders more commonly carried by immigration officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Erick Olivares, who hosted the training at his taqueria, said learning about his legal rights as a business owner made him feel more confident. He planned to meet with employees at his two restaurants in the Fruitvale and Richmond, as well as fellow merchants, to ensure they \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050993/a-day-in-the-life-of-san-joses-rapid-response-network-built-to-resist-ice-fear\">know their rights\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With all this information, I got more ideas about the things that I can do. First of all, for me is to prepare my business,” said Olivares, 44.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The naturalized U.S. citizen, who first arrived in the Fruitvale as an undocumented teen, said his life experience motivates him to protect his community from any immigration-related abuses. Olivares said he doesn’t want to interfere with ICE’s work but will stand up for his mostly Latino employees and customers if needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055071\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055071\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01102_TV-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01102_TV-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01102_TV-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01102_TV-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erick Olivares poses for a portrait during a training session on community rights in relation to ICE enforcement, at Taqueria La Gran Chiquita in Oakland on Sept. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Now that I have the opportunity to protect my people, that’s what I want to do,” he said. “I want to help my community. I want to protect the businesses because these things that the federal government is doing to us; we cannot just let it be. We need to fight back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dorado, who co-leads the Comunidad y Comerciantes de Fruitvale business association with Olivares, said he wants members to become trainers themselves and involve other merchants. The 77-year-old lifelong Fruitvale resident said that, as unsettling as recent immigration sweeps in other regions may be, he sees an opportunity in the Bay Area for employers to unite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can talk to them about the importance of our coming together, and it’s not just the education,” said Dorado, a former police commissioner. “It’s also the multiplying force of our coming together as merchants and Latino merchants, especially here in the Fruitvale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As immigration authorities increasingly target worksites for arrests, hundreds of managers and business owners like Ordoñez have flocked to “Know Your Rights” training events in the Bay Area specifically \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12025647/what-to-do-if-you-encounter-ice\">tailored to the workplace\u003c/a>, according to legal aid groups and worker advocates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Employers in California must navigate additional responsibilities under state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/DIRNews/2025/2025-52.html\">labor laws\u003c/a> when it comes to immigration worksite inspections or raids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055070\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12055070 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01090_TV-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01090_TV-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01090_TV-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01090_TV-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ledy Ordoñez poses for a portrait during a training session on community rights in relation to ICE enforcement, at Taqueria La Gran Chiquita in Oakland on Sept. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Employers would be breaking California law if they voluntarily allow ICE to access employee records or private areas,” said Marisa Almor, a trainer with the nonprofit East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, referring to a state\u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/AB_450_QA.pdf\"> law\u003c/a> known as the Immigrant Worker Protection Act. “So we are informing employers of what their rights are and what they should also not do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several merchants in the Fruitvale neighborhood said the more aggressive immigration crackdown they’ve watched unfold in Southern California gave them a sense of urgency to attend a recent training at Taqueria La Gran Chiquita, organized by a local business association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many attendees said they worry about the use of ethnic profiling to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052452/you-cant-trust-anyone-in-oakland-fear-of-ice-raids-grips-day-laborers\">arrest noncriminal workers\u003c/a> from warehouses, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055084/california-volunteers-stand-guard-at-day-laborer-corners-amid-ice-sweeps\">Home Depot parking lots\u003c/a> and bus stops.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“What we see happening in LA is going to come up here. We have to get organized,” said Jose Antonio Dorado, who owns a bookkeeping and tax services business. “It’s only a matter of time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26085902-25a169-order/\">temporarily allowed\u003c/a> the Trump administration to continue using broad factors such as apparent ethnicity, language and occupation to conduct ICE raids in the LA area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Critics said the justices’ 6–3 decision will likely embolden federal authorities to use similar tactics in other cities and could lead to Latino U.S. citizens being erroneously targeted because of the color of their skin, Spanish language, or type of work at car washes or as day laborers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At La Gran Chiquita, stacks of flyers and handouts, including an employer preparedness checklist, greeted local merchants as they walked in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tables and chairs were moved aside to make way for couches, a projector and a white hanging sheet that functioned as a screen. At least one confused customer expecting tacos backed away after realizing the restaurant had been transformed into a classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055069\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12055069 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01050_TV-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01050_TV-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01050_TV-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01050_TV-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marisa Almor (left) answers Enrique Soriano’s (right) question about community rights in relation to ICE enforcement at Taqueria La Gran Chiquita, in Oakland, on Sept. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Almor, who taught the training, advised merchants to plan ahead on how to respond if ICE visited their businesses. The Constitution guarantees that all people on U.S. soil — regardless of their immigration status — have the right to remain silent and request a lawyer if detained, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You must establish a response protocol,” Almor said as attendees took photos of presentation slides and scribbled notes. “Talk with your employees in advance and designate who is authorized to make decisions, who should interact with law enforcement in the name of the business and coworkers and who can document the interaction at a safe distance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almor said brick-and-mortar business owners — especially in predominantly Latino areas — should identify which areas of their stores or offices are considered public versus private.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The distinction is important because California employers don’t have to allow ICE into private spaces unless they present a valid judicial warrant, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s rare for immigration agents to carry a judicial warrant,” Almor said, pointing out the differences between that document and the administrative orders more commonly carried by immigration officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Erick Olivares, who hosted the training at his taqueria, said learning about his legal rights as a business owner made him feel more confident. He planned to meet with employees at his two restaurants in the Fruitvale and Richmond, as well as fellow merchants, to ensure they \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050993/a-day-in-the-life-of-san-joses-rapid-response-network-built-to-resist-ice-fear\">know their rights\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With all this information, I got more ideas about the things that I can do. First of all, for me is to prepare my business,” said Olivares, 44.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The naturalized U.S. citizen, who first arrived in the Fruitvale as an undocumented teen, said his life experience motivates him to protect his community from any immigration-related abuses. Olivares said he doesn’t want to interfere with ICE’s work but will stand up for his mostly Latino employees and customers if needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055071\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055071\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01102_TV-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01102_TV-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01102_TV-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-ICETRAINING_01102_TV-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erick Olivares poses for a portrait during a training session on community rights in relation to ICE enforcement, at Taqueria La Gran Chiquita in Oakland on Sept. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Now that I have the opportunity to protect my people, that’s what I want to do,” he said. “I want to help my community. I want to protect the businesses because these things that the federal government is doing to us; we cannot just let it be. We need to fight back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dorado, who co-leads the Comunidad y Comerciantes de Fruitvale business association with Olivares, said he wants members to become trainers themselves and involve other merchants. The 77-year-old lifelong Fruitvale resident said that, as unsettling as recent immigration sweeps in other regions may be, he sees an opportunity in the Bay Area for employers to unite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can talk to them about the importance of our coming together, and it’s not just the education,” said Dorado, a former police commissioner. “It’s also the multiplying force of our coming together as merchants and Latino merchants, especially here in the Fruitvale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "whats-in-your-tequila-california-lawsuit-claims-some-labels-mislead-consumers",
"title": "What’s In Your Tequila? California Lawsuit Claims Some Labels Misled Consumers",
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"headTitle": "What’s In Your Tequila? California Lawsuit Claims Some Labels Misled Consumers | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Tequila has become the darling of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/category/california\">California’s\u003c/a> cocktail culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/issue/brand-champions-2024/\">According to industry data\u003c/a>, more than 50 million cases of tequila were sold in the United States in 2023, a 7.6% increase from the previous year. And California is \u003ca href=\"https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2023/04/tequila-sales-grew-by-17-in-california/\">the biggest market for the spirit\u003c/a> produced from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.academiapatron.com/making-tequila/agave-growth-and-harvesting/planting-selection-harvesting\">blue Weber agave\u003c/a> plant grown exclusively in a handful of states in Mexico — a demand \u003ca href=\"https://just-drinks.nridigital.com/just_drinks_magazine_nov22/tequila_us_market_forecast\">boosted by the state’s sizable Latino population\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A handle of tequila can range up to $100 and beyond, depending on the brand, with many premium labels promoting that their liquor is made up of “100% agave.” This kind of tequila usually costs more because it “takes more agave to make,” said Mike Morales, Los Angeles-based executive editor and tasting director of the industry magazine \u003cem>Tequila Aficionado\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a big status symbol.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a series of legal battles has begun this summer that could shake up the entire industry — one of them in the very state that has embraced tequila the most.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/Diageo-Class-Action-072025-1.pdf\">A San Francisco resident\u003c/a> has filed a class action suit in federal court against spirits giant Diageo — parent company of well-known tequila brands Don Julio and Casamigos — alleging the company intentionally misled consumers about the agave content in its tequila products labeled “100% agave” in order to profit from this deception.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘An earthquake in the industry’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The class action — filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California — claims to represent anyone “who purchased Diageo Premium Tequila Products” with the goal of recovering “financial losses sustained by consumers who were misled by [Diageo’s] false and misleading advertising.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is actually the third lawsuit that Diageo faces from consumers regarding the agave content in their Don Julio and Casamigos brands, with one class action filed by consumers in New York in May and another in Florida shortly after.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053055\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-9-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053055\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-9-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-9-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-9-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-9-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Moose” arranges bottles along the towering tequila wall inside San Francisco Tequila Shop in Bernal Heights on Aug. 19, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Out of all three states where Diageo is being sued, California has some of the strongest consumer protection laws — and the beverage company has recently requested that this particular lawsuit be moved to the same New York court overseeing the first case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plaintiffs joining the San Francisco resident in the lawsuit are represented by Baron & Budd and Hagens Berman, two consumer rights firms with extensive records of \u003ca href=\"https://abcnews.go.com/Business/ny-man-sues-volkswagen-emissions-scandal-reason-bought/story?id=33951902\">wrestling with major corporations in court\u003c/a>. Neither firm returned KQED’s requests for an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for Diageo told KQED that “claims of adulteration are outrageous and categorically false,” and that the company will defend the quality and integrity of its tequilas in court “and against anyone who is spreading misinformation and lies about our products.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawyers for both Diageo and the California plaintiffs will meet in San Francisco’s courthouse on Oct. 3. Regardless of what the courts decide, said David Suro Piñera, a Philadelphia-based tequila entrepreneur and historian, the lawsuits “are an earthquake in the industry.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So why \u003cem>is \u003c/em>the agave content inside a tequila bottle so crucial when it comes to selling this liquor that’s only becoming more popular? And what does this lawsuit say about how U.S. consumers shape an industry that started thousands of miles away in Mexico?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Evolution in the public eye\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Covered floor to ceiling with colorful and intricately decorated bottles, the San Francisco Tequila Shop on the steep streets of Bernal Heights is an oasis for lovers of spirits derived from the agave plant. It was here in the backroom one August afternoon that owner Moose Malhi hosted Suro Piñera for a tasting event featuring some blanco, some reposado and plenty of conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suro Piñera told the assembled tequila enthusiasts about how, back in 1986, he opened a restaurant called Tequilas in downtown Philadelphia with the goal of bringing high-end Mexican cuisine to that city. But other local restaurateurs were confused about the name, he said.[aside postID=news_11999014 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240628-Junk-Fees-Law-MD-02_qed-1020x680.jpg']“They would hear ‘tequila’ and imagine something else — not high quality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in the following decades, the way American consumers think about this liquor has changed significantly, Suro Piñera said. “To see right now the passion, the commitment, the interest in tequila, is a dream come true,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Families have been producing tequila primarily in the Mexican state of Jalisco for centuries, blending European distillation techniques with Indigenous agricultural knowledge. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.crt.org.mx/en/about-us/\">Tequila Regulatory Council\u003c/a> is the independent body that establishes the rules for the industry, which includes where tequila can be produced, who can sell it and \u003ca href=\"https://www.crt.org.mx/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/NOM-006-SCFI-2012%20-%20INGLES.pdf\">defining what goes into it\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anything marked as “tequila” must include at least 51% alcohol derived from blue agave. The other 49% \u003cem>can \u003c/em>come from other sources, like caña (sugar cane) or grain alcohol, which are typically cheaper. This type of tequila, that’s a mixture of alcohols from different sources, is called “mixto.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Diageo lawsuit said that 100% agave “is a powerful marketing tool that shapes consumer expectations” and then accuses the company of tricking consumers into buying tequila that actually has “cheaper, non-agave alcohol.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mislabeling their tequila products is a violation of consumer protection law, the lawsuit claims. “For dominant players like Diageo, this is not just deceptive — it is a calculated, strategic misuse of market power.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘A pleasant burn’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Regulatory details aside, how does being 100% agave affect the way your tequila actually tastes? If you rarely drink tequila because of its strong flavor, don’t expect 100% agave tequila to be any easier on you, the San Francisco Tequila Shop’s Malhi said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People drink tequila that’s been sweetened by additives, and they think it’s smooth,” he said. “If all you drink is tequila that’s been sweetened, and then you try something with no additives, that’s such a big jump.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053056\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-13-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053056\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-13-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-13-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-13-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view inside San Francisco Tequila Shop in Bernal Heights on Aug. 19, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“A good tequila is going to give you a pleasant burn,” said Marcos Higareda, a tequila entrepreneur based out of Riverside County. “This comes from the ground. The soil nurtured that agave for the last seven, eight years. Then it went through a process to convert it into tequila.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s also a lot of variation between the distilleries that provide tequila labels with their product. Some are run by the same families that first opened them decades ago, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/05/06/nx-s1-5188663/author-ted-genoways-new-book-tequila-wars\">long-held distillation traditions becoming industry secrets\u003c/a>. And while some of these factors are dependent on humans, others — like rain and drought — are ultimately out of our control, Higareda said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And with 100% agave tequila, it’s normal for there to be slight variations in color, taste or aroma in the same batch. “Not all tequilas are going to be the same,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Agave under strain\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>But as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.crt.org.mx/en/2025/03/27/2025-begins-with-an-increase-in-tequila-exports/\">world’s thirst for tequila grows\u003c/a>, Higareda said that big brands are responding with a product that seeks to smell, taste and look the same regardless of where you go. One way to do that: adding sweeteners and colorants to achieve this uniformity, as permitted by the Tequila Regulatory Council’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.crt.org.mx/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/NOM-006-SCFI-2012%20-%20INGLES.pdf\">rulebook for tequila production, \u003c/a>also known as the “Normas.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You want to go to the shelf and you want to see that your product has the same consistent color every single time and the same flavor every single time,” a Jose Cuervo executive \u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkell/2025/03/24/jose-cuervo-says-the-additive-free--movement-is-damaging-to-tequila/\">recently told Forbes Magazine\u003c/a>.[aside postID=news_12054153 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/BrownEggsGetty.jpg']And globalization is being felt all the way through the supply chain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first time that Morales of \u003cem>Tequila Aficionado\u003c/em> visited Jalisco, almost two decades ago, he remembers how bright the fields of agave were in the sunlight: “I had to look at them with my sunglasses on because they were so blue and bright against the red soil,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On recent trips, however, he’s seen: “it’s not like that anymore,” he said. “The plants aren’t big enough. They don’t let them grow long enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For decades, the tequila industry has followed \u003ca href=\"https://www.ft.com/content/be3f48a5-d5d7-40af-a9e7-3ebff98741b3\">a cycle of boom and bust\u003c/a>. When the price of tequila goes up, growers rush to grow and harvest agave as fast as possible, and when the price goes down, “everybody leaves their plants to rot,” Morales said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Industry data shows that U.S. tequila sales \u003ca href=\"https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/issue/brand-champions-2024/\">are growing faster\u003c/a> than vodka, whisky and all other spirits combined — and the giants of the beverage industry have noticed this surge. In the past decade, multinational corporations have snatched up some of the most famous tequila brands: London-based Diageo bought Don Julio in 2015 and then Casamigos in 2017; Sauza was taken over by Suntory, a Japanese company, in 2014; and rum giant Bacardi purchased Patrón in 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These brands are well-funded and want a return on their investment,” Morales said. That could mean depending more on non-agave sources for alcohol content, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Any tequila that’s being mass-marketed and charging a lot of money is probably lawyering up,” Morales said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What now for the industry — and in court?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Back at the San Francisco Tequila Shop, after Suro Piñera’s tasting event, Malhi rang up his customers — and pointed to a photo behind the register of his grandfather, Nirmal Singh Malhi, standing next to family friend Ernie Sánchez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1993, Malhi’s family opened a liquor store in Modesto, next to the Sánchez family. Over the years, they all developed a strong bond and learned about each other’s culture: the Sánchezes hailing from Jalisco, Mexico and the Malhi from Punjab, India.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053054\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-5-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053054\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-5-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-5-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-5-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-5-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amandip Singh Malhi, known as “Moose,” proprietor of San Francisco Tequila Shop, stands in the back of his Bernal Heights store on Aug. 19, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Sánchez family would frequently travel to Jalisco and bring back tequila brands that weren’t available in the U.S. yet. It was the Sánchez family that taught him, Malhi said, “that in each bottle, there’s a lot of tears, sweat and hard work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you really understand all the work and tradition that goes into making a quality spirit … that’s when you will appreciate more of what you taste when you drink tequila,” Malhi said. And he — like so many who’ve made tequila their lives — will be paying close attention to the case against Diageo as it unfolds at San Francisco’s federal courthouse, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What most likely will decide the outcome of this legal battle is the evidence that each camp presents, said Deborah Hensler, professor of dispute resolution at Stanford Law School.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The verdict could also hinge on emerging technology. The defendants include data from two types of chemical tests — nuclear magnetic resonance and isotope testing — designed to measure the composition of alcohol derived from tequila. According to several industry experts that KQED spoke to for this story, these tests are fairly new in the world of tequila and have not yet been universally adopted by tequila producers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The defendant would have to bring in their \u003cem>own \u003c/em>experts that counter [this data],” Hensler said — so that the judge can adequately consider whether the plaintiff’s evidence is credible and scientifically valid.[aside postID=news_12047129 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/55950722_qed.jpg']If the case stays in California — and is not transferred to New York as Diageo has requested — the Golden State’s robust consumer protection laws could also come into play. The lawsuit claims the beverage company is in violation of the state’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act, which prohibits companies from misrepresenting the source of the goods they are selling, said Ted Mermin, consumer law professor at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can’t advertise something if you know — or should know — that what you are saying isn’t true,” he said. “You do not need a law that’s called ‘the tequila purity law.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And say the court finds that Diageo \u003cem>did \u003c/em>mislead consumers about the agave content in its products? It would be the smaller players in the supply chain that pay the consequences, Suro Piñera said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For years, farmworkers and environmental activists \u003ca href=\"https://elpais.com/mexico/2023-07-13/la-sobreproduccion-de-agave-en-mexico-genera-una-alerta-climatica.html\">have warned that greater demand for agave\u003c/a> could have \u003ca href=\"https://daily.sevenfifty.com/americans-love-of-tequila-and-beer-is-deepening-mexicos-water-crisis/\">serious long-term consequences on the drinking water\u003c/a> and agricultural land used by the very families that make this liquor possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If this [spirits] category collapses and the external corporate interests just go to the next country — the next trending liquor — they’ll be leaving us with a damaged ecosystem and greater inequality,” he said. “It’s a cultural and ecological expropriation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And with that, Suro Piñera added, wiping away “the reputation and recognition that we have worked so hard to build.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "What does \"100% agave\" tequila mean? A new California lawsuit could reveal industry secrets with consequences on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.",
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"title": "What’s In Your Tequila? California Lawsuit Claims Some Labels Misled Consumers | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Tequila has become the darling of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/category/california\">California’s\u003c/a> cocktail culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/issue/brand-champions-2024/\">According to industry data\u003c/a>, more than 50 million cases of tequila were sold in the United States in 2023, a 7.6% increase from the previous year. And California is \u003ca href=\"https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2023/04/tequila-sales-grew-by-17-in-california/\">the biggest market for the spirit\u003c/a> produced from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.academiapatron.com/making-tequila/agave-growth-and-harvesting/planting-selection-harvesting\">blue Weber agave\u003c/a> plant grown exclusively in a handful of states in Mexico — a demand \u003ca href=\"https://just-drinks.nridigital.com/just_drinks_magazine_nov22/tequila_us_market_forecast\">boosted by the state’s sizable Latino population\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A handle of tequila can range up to $100 and beyond, depending on the brand, with many premium labels promoting that their liquor is made up of “100% agave.” This kind of tequila usually costs more because it “takes more agave to make,” said Mike Morales, Los Angeles-based executive editor and tasting director of the industry magazine \u003cem>Tequila Aficionado\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a big status symbol.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a series of legal battles has begun this summer that could shake up the entire industry — one of them in the very state that has embraced tequila the most.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/Diageo-Class-Action-072025-1.pdf\">A San Francisco resident\u003c/a> has filed a class action suit in federal court against spirits giant Diageo — parent company of well-known tequila brands Don Julio and Casamigos — alleging the company intentionally misled consumers about the agave content in its tequila products labeled “100% agave” in order to profit from this deception.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘An earthquake in the industry’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The class action — filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California — claims to represent anyone “who purchased Diageo Premium Tequila Products” with the goal of recovering “financial losses sustained by consumers who were misled by [Diageo’s] false and misleading advertising.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is actually the third lawsuit that Diageo faces from consumers regarding the agave content in their Don Julio and Casamigos brands, with one class action filed by consumers in New York in May and another in Florida shortly after.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053055\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-9-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053055\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-9-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-9-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-9-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-9-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Moose” arranges bottles along the towering tequila wall inside San Francisco Tequila Shop in Bernal Heights on Aug. 19, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Out of all three states where Diageo is being sued, California has some of the strongest consumer protection laws — and the beverage company has recently requested that this particular lawsuit be moved to the same New York court overseeing the first case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plaintiffs joining the San Francisco resident in the lawsuit are represented by Baron & Budd and Hagens Berman, two consumer rights firms with extensive records of \u003ca href=\"https://abcnews.go.com/Business/ny-man-sues-volkswagen-emissions-scandal-reason-bought/story?id=33951902\">wrestling with major corporations in court\u003c/a>. Neither firm returned KQED’s requests for an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for Diageo told KQED that “claims of adulteration are outrageous and categorically false,” and that the company will defend the quality and integrity of its tequilas in court “and against anyone who is spreading misinformation and lies about our products.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawyers for both Diageo and the California plaintiffs will meet in San Francisco’s courthouse on Oct. 3. Regardless of what the courts decide, said David Suro Piñera, a Philadelphia-based tequila entrepreneur and historian, the lawsuits “are an earthquake in the industry.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So why \u003cem>is \u003c/em>the agave content inside a tequila bottle so crucial when it comes to selling this liquor that’s only becoming more popular? And what does this lawsuit say about how U.S. consumers shape an industry that started thousands of miles away in Mexico?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Evolution in the public eye\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Covered floor to ceiling with colorful and intricately decorated bottles, the San Francisco Tequila Shop on the steep streets of Bernal Heights is an oasis for lovers of spirits derived from the agave plant. It was here in the backroom one August afternoon that owner Moose Malhi hosted Suro Piñera for a tasting event featuring some blanco, some reposado and plenty of conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suro Piñera told the assembled tequila enthusiasts about how, back in 1986, he opened a restaurant called Tequilas in downtown Philadelphia with the goal of bringing high-end Mexican cuisine to that city. But other local restaurateurs were confused about the name, he said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“They would hear ‘tequila’ and imagine something else — not high quality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in the following decades, the way American consumers think about this liquor has changed significantly, Suro Piñera said. “To see right now the passion, the commitment, the interest in tequila, is a dream come true,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Families have been producing tequila primarily in the Mexican state of Jalisco for centuries, blending European distillation techniques with Indigenous agricultural knowledge. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.crt.org.mx/en/about-us/\">Tequila Regulatory Council\u003c/a> is the independent body that establishes the rules for the industry, which includes where tequila can be produced, who can sell it and \u003ca href=\"https://www.crt.org.mx/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/NOM-006-SCFI-2012%20-%20INGLES.pdf\">defining what goes into it\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anything marked as “tequila” must include at least 51% alcohol derived from blue agave. The other 49% \u003cem>can \u003c/em>come from other sources, like caña (sugar cane) or grain alcohol, which are typically cheaper. This type of tequila, that’s a mixture of alcohols from different sources, is called “mixto.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Diageo lawsuit said that 100% agave “is a powerful marketing tool that shapes consumer expectations” and then accuses the company of tricking consumers into buying tequila that actually has “cheaper, non-agave alcohol.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mislabeling their tequila products is a violation of consumer protection law, the lawsuit claims. “For dominant players like Diageo, this is not just deceptive — it is a calculated, strategic misuse of market power.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘A pleasant burn’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Regulatory details aside, how does being 100% agave affect the way your tequila actually tastes? If you rarely drink tequila because of its strong flavor, don’t expect 100% agave tequila to be any easier on you, the San Francisco Tequila Shop’s Malhi said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People drink tequila that’s been sweetened by additives, and they think it’s smooth,” he said. “If all you drink is tequila that’s been sweetened, and then you try something with no additives, that’s such a big jump.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053056\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-13-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053056\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-13-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-13-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-13-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view inside San Francisco Tequila Shop in Bernal Heights on Aug. 19, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“A good tequila is going to give you a pleasant burn,” said Marcos Higareda, a tequila entrepreneur based out of Riverside County. “This comes from the ground. The soil nurtured that agave for the last seven, eight years. Then it went through a process to convert it into tequila.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s also a lot of variation between the distilleries that provide tequila labels with their product. Some are run by the same families that first opened them decades ago, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/05/06/nx-s1-5188663/author-ted-genoways-new-book-tequila-wars\">long-held distillation traditions becoming industry secrets\u003c/a>. And while some of these factors are dependent on humans, others — like rain and drought — are ultimately out of our control, Higareda said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And with 100% agave tequila, it’s normal for there to be slight variations in color, taste or aroma in the same batch. “Not all tequilas are going to be the same,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Agave under strain\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>But as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.crt.org.mx/en/2025/03/27/2025-begins-with-an-increase-in-tequila-exports/\">world’s thirst for tequila grows\u003c/a>, Higareda said that big brands are responding with a product that seeks to smell, taste and look the same regardless of where you go. One way to do that: adding sweeteners and colorants to achieve this uniformity, as permitted by the Tequila Regulatory Council’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.crt.org.mx/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/NOM-006-SCFI-2012%20-%20INGLES.pdf\">rulebook for tequila production, \u003c/a>also known as the “Normas.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You want to go to the shelf and you want to see that your product has the same consistent color every single time and the same flavor every single time,” a Jose Cuervo executive \u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkell/2025/03/24/jose-cuervo-says-the-additive-free--movement-is-damaging-to-tequila/\">recently told Forbes Magazine\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>And globalization is being felt all the way through the supply chain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first time that Morales of \u003cem>Tequila Aficionado\u003c/em> visited Jalisco, almost two decades ago, he remembers how bright the fields of agave were in the sunlight: “I had to look at them with my sunglasses on because they were so blue and bright against the red soil,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On recent trips, however, he’s seen: “it’s not like that anymore,” he said. “The plants aren’t big enough. They don’t let them grow long enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For decades, the tequila industry has followed \u003ca href=\"https://www.ft.com/content/be3f48a5-d5d7-40af-a9e7-3ebff98741b3\">a cycle of boom and bust\u003c/a>. When the price of tequila goes up, growers rush to grow and harvest agave as fast as possible, and when the price goes down, “everybody leaves their plants to rot,” Morales said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Industry data shows that U.S. tequila sales \u003ca href=\"https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/issue/brand-champions-2024/\">are growing faster\u003c/a> than vodka, whisky and all other spirits combined — and the giants of the beverage industry have noticed this surge. In the past decade, multinational corporations have snatched up some of the most famous tequila brands: London-based Diageo bought Don Julio in 2015 and then Casamigos in 2017; Sauza was taken over by Suntory, a Japanese company, in 2014; and rum giant Bacardi purchased Patrón in 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These brands are well-funded and want a return on their investment,” Morales said. That could mean depending more on non-agave sources for alcohol content, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Any tequila that’s being mass-marketed and charging a lot of money is probably lawyering up,” Morales said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What now for the industry — and in court?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Back at the San Francisco Tequila Shop, after Suro Piñera’s tasting event, Malhi rang up his customers — and pointed to a photo behind the register of his grandfather, Nirmal Singh Malhi, standing next to family friend Ernie Sánchez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1993, Malhi’s family opened a liquor store in Modesto, next to the Sánchez family. Over the years, they all developed a strong bond and learned about each other’s culture: the Sánchezes hailing from Jalisco, Mexico and the Malhi from Punjab, India.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053054\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-5-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053054\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-5-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-5-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-5-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250819_TEQUILA101_GH-5-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amandip Singh Malhi, known as “Moose,” proprietor of San Francisco Tequila Shop, stands in the back of his Bernal Heights store on Aug. 19, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Sánchez family would frequently travel to Jalisco and bring back tequila brands that weren’t available in the U.S. yet. It was the Sánchez family that taught him, Malhi said, “that in each bottle, there’s a lot of tears, sweat and hard work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you really understand all the work and tradition that goes into making a quality spirit … that’s when you will appreciate more of what you taste when you drink tequila,” Malhi said. And he — like so many who’ve made tequila their lives — will be paying close attention to the case against Diageo as it unfolds at San Francisco’s federal courthouse, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What most likely will decide the outcome of this legal battle is the evidence that each camp presents, said Deborah Hensler, professor of dispute resolution at Stanford Law School.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The verdict could also hinge on emerging technology. The defendants include data from two types of chemical tests — nuclear magnetic resonance and isotope testing — designed to measure the composition of alcohol derived from tequila. According to several industry experts that KQED spoke to for this story, these tests are fairly new in the world of tequila and have not yet been universally adopted by tequila producers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The defendant would have to bring in their \u003cem>own \u003c/em>experts that counter [this data],” Hensler said — so that the judge can adequately consider whether the plaintiff’s evidence is credible and scientifically valid.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>If the case stays in California — and is not transferred to New York as Diageo has requested — the Golden State’s robust consumer protection laws could also come into play. The lawsuit claims the beverage company is in violation of the state’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act, which prohibits companies from misrepresenting the source of the goods they are selling, said Ted Mermin, consumer law professor at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can’t advertise something if you know — or should know — that what you are saying isn’t true,” he said. “You do not need a law that’s called ‘the tequila purity law.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And say the court finds that Diageo \u003cem>did \u003c/em>mislead consumers about the agave content in its products? It would be the smaller players in the supply chain that pay the consequences, Suro Piñera said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For years, farmworkers and environmental activists \u003ca href=\"https://elpais.com/mexico/2023-07-13/la-sobreproduccion-de-agave-en-mexico-genera-una-alerta-climatica.html\">have warned that greater demand for agave\u003c/a> could have \u003ca href=\"https://daily.sevenfifty.com/americans-love-of-tequila-and-beer-is-deepening-mexicos-water-crisis/\">serious long-term consequences on the drinking water\u003c/a> and agricultural land used by the very families that make this liquor possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If this [spirits] category collapses and the external corporate interests just go to the next country — the next trending liquor — they’ll be leaving us with a damaged ecosystem and greater inequality,” he said. “It’s a cultural and ecological expropriation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And with that, Suro Piñera added, wiping away “the reputation and recognition that we have worked so hard to build.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>When a Bay Area woman watched recent bystander videos of agents in military-style gear arresting day laborers, vendors and gardeners in Southern California — sometimes violently — she was appalled. The freelance interpreter couldn’t shake the images of masked immigration officers \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043346/sf-rallies-for-david-huerta-california-union-leader-arrested-in-la-immigration-raid\">pushing Latino workers\u003c/a> to the ground or even punching them before loading them into vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Watching what was going on in LA just broke my heart,” said the woman, an Alameda resident who asked to be identified only as Christy because she fears reprisals. “I believe in social justice, I believe in right and wrong, and I can’t sit on my hands and say that’s wrong without doing something about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 60-year-old doomscrolled at home until she spotted a social media post offering a way to turn her distress into action. The solidarity call asked sympathetic Americans to choose a local spot where day laborers gather as they wait for work and commit to showing up regularly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Christy is now one of hundreds of Californians volunteering to accompany workers at highly visible intersections and monitor for immigration sweeps, according to the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. The Pasadena-based nonprofit launched the “\u003ca href=\"https://ndlon.org/adopt-a-day-labor-corner/\">Adopt a Day Laborer Corner\u003c/a>” program in response to expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Southern California, including at Home Depot parking lots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I decided this seems like something I can do,” said Christy, clutching her sweater one breezy morning near a U-Haul location in East Oakland, where about 10 day laborers lingered. “More active than marching. This is definitely a better way to be present for people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055074\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055074\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00602_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00602_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00602_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00602_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wendy, a volunteer who monitors ICE activity on busy streets near day laborer corners, wears a volunteer pin in Oakland on Sept. 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On Sept. 2, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that President Donald Trump \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12054322/judge-rules-trump-violated-law-by-sending-troops-to-los-angeles\">violated federal law\u003c/a> when he deployed military troops to Los Angeles and barred their use for law enforcement, though the order does not go into effect until Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a separate case, the U.S. Supreme Court handed the administration a win Monday by \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26085902-25a169-order/\">temporarily lifting\u003c/a> a lower court’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.aclusocal.org/sites/default/files/vasquez-perdomo-v-noem-tro-granting.pdf\">order\u003c/a> that had restricted immigration authorities from using factors such as apparent ethnicity, occupation and language as reasonable suspicion for “roving” immigration stops in LA. Two of the plaintiffs in the case, Jorge Hernandez Viramontes and Jason Brian Gavidia, are U.S. citizens.[aside postID=news_12054668 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/GettyImages-2220320695-2000x1334.jpg']Agents briefly drove Hernandez Viramontes away from his longtime carwash job in Orange County and pushed Gavidia against a metal fence, twisting his arm near a Los Angeles County tow yard, even though both men said they were Americans and offered an ID, according to the complaint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each morning in California, tens of thousands of mostly Latino men gather at busy intersections and retail store parking lots to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052452/you-cant-trust-anyone-in-oakland-fear-of-ice-raids-grips-day-laborers\">await short-term jobs\u003c/a> in construction, painting, landscaping and other projects. Day laborers, often low-income undocumented immigrants, are particularly exposed to ICE at the open-air hiring sites, said Palmira Figueroa, NDLON’s communication director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For years, the organization encouraged employers, neighbors and others to get to know the workers, bring them coffee and establish relationships. But the summer sweeps in LA galvanized about 2,500 people nationwide to take NDLON’s training to adopt a corner, she said. Now, volunteers are monitoring dozens of corners in the state, Figueroa added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Christy’s first morning with fellow volunteer Wendy at the U-Haul parking lot, a trainer explained their main responsibilities over the roar of traffic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055077\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055077\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00805_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00805_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00805_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00805_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Day laborers wait for work on International Boulevard at a U-Haul in Oakland on Sept. 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Your position is more as a watch out. We want you to be very aware of your surroundings and very vigilant,” Steve Robles, with the local nonprofit Street Level Health Project, told them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Christy and Wendy looked around at the busy intersection. At 7:45 a.m., parents hurried by with children in tow and people hopped onto buses to work. In the Bay Area, most recent immigration arrests have taken place at courthouses and ICE offices, according to immigrant advocates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, if immigration agents showed up in this heavily Latino area, Robles said, the volunteers should quickly call a number that connects them to a network of advocates to sound the alarm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055079\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055079\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00840_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00840_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00840_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00840_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A day laborer waits for work on International Boulevard at a U-Haul in Oakland on Sept. 5, 2025. A nonprofit called “Adopt a Day Laborer Corner” has inspired Californians to volunteer their time to accompany day laborers, who are at risk of deportation, at highly visible intersections and monitor for immigration sweeps. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The women should also be ready to whip out their phones and document what happens next.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These raids are happening in maybe five minutes,” Robles said. “This is why this kind of project was needed, because by the time that the news would come around and our team would come out … they would be gone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Julio, a day laborer originally from Honduras who declined to use his full name because of his immigration status, kept a watchful eye on approaching vehicles, trying to assess whether they held potential employers or immigration agents. He said he feels at greater risk of deportation and likes having the volunteers around.[aside postID=news_12052452 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/20250725_OAKLANDDAYLABORERS_GC-3-KQED.jpg']“It’s good that they are here, because one feels more supported, less alone,” said Julio, 44, who has frequented the corner on and off for years to supplement longer-term jobs in construction and landscaping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He chatted with Wendy, who has been stopping by the corner for an hour or longer several times each week, often with a hot cup of coffee on hand and apples from her backyard to share.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The public health professional sometimes works on her knitting for an hour before driving to work. On a weekend, she stays longer, from about 7 a.m. to noon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wendy is not keen on writing letters or calling government officials to complain about things she disagrees with. But adopting the corner — and introducing herself to the workers there — has helped her deal with feelings of despair by doing something she believes can help a broader community, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can make time for it. It’s important,” Wendy, who lives in the neighborhood, said. “Using my privilege, of course. I’m white, middle-aged. I’m not going to intimidate anybody, and I’m also not going to be much of a target for immigration enforcement. So, yeah, I can be out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When a Bay Area woman watched recent bystander videos of agents in military-style gear arresting day laborers, vendors and gardeners in Southern California — sometimes violently — she was appalled. The freelance interpreter couldn’t shake the images of masked immigration officers \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043346/sf-rallies-for-david-huerta-california-union-leader-arrested-in-la-immigration-raid\">pushing Latino workers\u003c/a> to the ground or even punching them before loading them into vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Watching what was going on in LA just broke my heart,” said the woman, an Alameda resident who asked to be identified only as Christy because she fears reprisals. “I believe in social justice, I believe in right and wrong, and I can’t sit on my hands and say that’s wrong without doing something about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 60-year-old doomscrolled at home until she spotted a social media post offering a way to turn her distress into action. The solidarity call asked sympathetic Americans to choose a local spot where day laborers gather as they wait for work and commit to showing up regularly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Christy is now one of hundreds of Californians volunteering to accompany workers at highly visible intersections and monitor for immigration sweeps, according to the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. The Pasadena-based nonprofit launched the “\u003ca href=\"https://ndlon.org/adopt-a-day-labor-corner/\">Adopt a Day Laborer Corner\u003c/a>” program in response to expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Southern California, including at Home Depot parking lots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I decided this seems like something I can do,” said Christy, clutching her sweater one breezy morning near a U-Haul location in East Oakland, where about 10 day laborers lingered. “More active than marching. This is definitely a better way to be present for people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055074\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055074\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00602_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00602_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00602_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00602_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wendy, a volunteer who monitors ICE activity on busy streets near day laborer corners, wears a volunteer pin in Oakland on Sept. 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On Sept. 2, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that President Donald Trump \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12054322/judge-rules-trump-violated-law-by-sending-troops-to-los-angeles\">violated federal law\u003c/a> when he deployed military troops to Los Angeles and barred their use for law enforcement, though the order does not go into effect until Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a separate case, the U.S. Supreme Court handed the administration a win Monday by \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26085902-25a169-order/\">temporarily lifting\u003c/a> a lower court’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.aclusocal.org/sites/default/files/vasquez-perdomo-v-noem-tro-granting.pdf\">order\u003c/a> that had restricted immigration authorities from using factors such as apparent ethnicity, occupation and language as reasonable suspicion for “roving” immigration stops in LA. Two of the plaintiffs in the case, Jorge Hernandez Viramontes and Jason Brian Gavidia, are U.S. citizens.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Agents briefly drove Hernandez Viramontes away from his longtime carwash job in Orange County and pushed Gavidia against a metal fence, twisting his arm near a Los Angeles County tow yard, even though both men said they were Americans and offered an ID, according to the complaint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each morning in California, tens of thousands of mostly Latino men gather at busy intersections and retail store parking lots to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052452/you-cant-trust-anyone-in-oakland-fear-of-ice-raids-grips-day-laborers\">await short-term jobs\u003c/a> in construction, painting, landscaping and other projects. Day laborers, often low-income undocumented immigrants, are particularly exposed to ICE at the open-air hiring sites, said Palmira Figueroa, NDLON’s communication director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For years, the organization encouraged employers, neighbors and others to get to know the workers, bring them coffee and establish relationships. But the summer sweeps in LA galvanized about 2,500 people nationwide to take NDLON’s training to adopt a corner, she said. Now, volunteers are monitoring dozens of corners in the state, Figueroa added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Christy’s first morning with fellow volunteer Wendy at the U-Haul parking lot, a trainer explained their main responsibilities over the roar of traffic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055077\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055077\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00805_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00805_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00805_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00805_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Day laborers wait for work on International Boulevard at a U-Haul in Oakland on Sept. 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Your position is more as a watch out. We want you to be very aware of your surroundings and very vigilant,” Steve Robles, with the local nonprofit Street Level Health Project, told them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Christy and Wendy looked around at the busy intersection. At 7:45 a.m., parents hurried by with children in tow and people hopped onto buses to work. In the Bay Area, most recent immigration arrests have taken place at courthouses and ICE offices, according to immigrant advocates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, if immigration agents showed up in this heavily Latino area, Robles said, the volunteers should quickly call a number that connects them to a network of advocates to sound the alarm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12055079\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12055079\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00840_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00840_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00840_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00840_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A day laborer waits for work on International Boulevard at a U-Haul in Oakland on Sept. 5, 2025. A nonprofit called “Adopt a Day Laborer Corner” has inspired Californians to volunteer their time to accompany day laborers, who are at risk of deportation, at highly visible intersections and monitor for immigration sweeps. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The women should also be ready to whip out their phones and document what happens next.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These raids are happening in maybe five minutes,” Robles said. “This is why this kind of project was needed, because by the time that the news would come around and our team would come out … they would be gone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Julio, a day laborer originally from Honduras who declined to use his full name because of his immigration status, kept a watchful eye on approaching vehicles, trying to assess whether they held potential employers or immigration agents. He said he feels at greater risk of deportation and likes having the volunteers around.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“It’s good that they are here, because one feels more supported, less alone,” said Julio, 44, who has frequented the corner on and off for years to supplement longer-term jobs in construction and landscaping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He chatted with Wendy, who has been stopping by the corner for an hour or longer several times each week, often with a hot cup of coffee on hand and apples from her backyard to share.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The public health professional sometimes works on her knitting for an hour before driving to work. On a weekend, she stays longer, from about 7 a.m. to noon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wendy is not keen on writing letters or calling government officials to complain about things she disagrees with. But adopting the corner — and introducing herself to the workers there — has helped her deal with feelings of despair by doing something she believes can help a broader community, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can make time for it. It’s important,” Wendy, who lives in the neighborhood, said. “Using my privilege, of course. I’m white, middle-aged. I’m not going to intimidate anybody, and I’m also not going to be much of a target for immigration enforcement. So, yeah, I can be out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>It’s a cool morning in the small farm town of Caruthers in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/fresno\">Fresno\u003c/a> County. The sun hasn’t risen yet, but Carmen, a mayordoma, or crew supervisor, hops out of her truck and begins prepping the tools her workers will need to harvest grapes: knives, containers, sheets of parchment paper. She’s expecting at least six people to show up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s already a fraction of the crews she used to lead. After two decades in the fields herself, Carmen has spent the last four years as a supervisor. And lately, finding help is harder than ever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Young people don’t want to work in the fields anymore,” she said in Spanish. “And those who used to work here don’t have the strength.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This morning, just three workers showed up — all of them over 40.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carmen, 35, knows the work is tough and the Central Valley heat can be unforgiving. Like many parents who work in the field, she’s brought her kids to the fields so they can gain an appreciation for the work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And as an example of the kind of future they’ll have if they don’t pursue their education,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054922\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054922\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-20-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-20-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-20-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carmen, a field supervisor, picks grapes at a field in Fresno on Sept. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But there’s the contradiction. Even as she pushes her own children toward college, she knows that’s part of the reason her crews keep shrinking. What feels like a triumph for her family only deepens the challenge she faces each day as a supervisor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her experience reflects a larger shift: California’s farm labor force is aging, and few younger workers are stepping in to replace them. Meanwhile, the workforce is also under strain from the Trump Administration’s immigration policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1979, the average California farmworker was 30 years old. Today it’s 40, with many still laboring well into their 60s and 70s, according to Edward Flores, faculty director of the UC Merced Community and Labor Center, who has studied these changes.[aside postID=news_12052452 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/20250725_OAKLANDDAYLABORERS_GC-3-KQED.jpg']Beginning in the 1970s, the U.S. experienced one of the largest migration waves in modern history: hundreds of thousands of young men and women came from Mexico to California, filling farm jobs that fueled the state’s agricultural boom. In 1969, the largest group of farmworkers was between 16 and 25. By the 1990s, it had shifted to 25 to 34, and the average age has only continued to rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If their parents have chronic health issues, struggle to make ends meet, and tell their kids to get an education instead, many children listen,” Flores said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The UC Merced Community and Labor Center documents this trend in its report\u003ca href=\"https://clc.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh626/f/page/documents/a_golden_age.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"> \u003cem>A Golden Age: California’s Aging Immigrant Workforce and its Implications for Safety Net Policy\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. The research shows that California’s noncitizen workforce, especially in agriculture, is aging rapidly while being largely excluded from Social Security and unemployment benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flores, who co-authored the report, warns that this leaves many longtime farmworkers with no safety net.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They harvest the food that we eat, but they cannot even afford to put food on their own table,” he said. “How do we care for those who have spent an entire lifetime in the fields and have no retirement?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054920\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054920\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-13-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-13-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-13-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farmworkers pick grapes at a field in Fresno on Sept. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>If California wants to attract new workers into agriculture, Flores argues, farm jobs need to pay enough to cover basic needs, come with stronger health and safety protections, and offer an economic safety net for workers as they age.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But demographics aren’t the only factor shaping who shows up to work. Recently, immigration enforcement has also kept crews thin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has often sent mixed signals on immigration policy. Federal agents have carried out \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-than-300-arrested-immigration-raids-southern-california-farms-feds/\">raids on farms\u003c/a> in California, even as Trump has publicly \u003ca href=\"https://www.axios.com/2025/06/20/trump-immigration-raids-farms\">suggested\u003c/a> that farmworkers could be spared. Those contradictions have left growers scrambling and many crews living with uncertainty.[aside postID=science_1998136 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/250730-COMMUNITYFARM-08-KQED.jpg']Bryan Little of the California Farm Bureau said even the rumors of immigration enforcement have an impact on turnout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve had scattered reports of people not showing up to complete harvesting operations,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That fear, layered on top of an already aging workforce, only deepens the shortage. And with fewer reliable hands, growers are already reshaping agriculture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Little points to nut orchards, where once 20 workers harvested almonds with long poles, now a handful of people can run machines that shake trees and sweep nuts off the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Five people can do in half the time what 16 used to do all day,” Little said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some growers are experimenting with “assistive technologies,” like robotic carts that follow strawberry pickers down the rows. But Little cautions that without immigration reform and a more accessible guest worker program, those tools won’t be enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054919\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12054919 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grapes hang on a vine in a field in Fresno on Sept. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Farmers and advocates have been calling for that kind of change for decades, with little to show for it. The H2A program has long been criticized for being cumbersome and expensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, lawmakers \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-03-12/california-farm-groups-look-to-stabilize-workforce-amid-crackdown-illegal-immigration\">reintroduced\u003c/a> the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a bipartisan bill that would amend the guest worker program and create a path to legal status for longtime agricultural workers. But even after passing Congress in previous years, it remains stalled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colleges are also stepping in to address the gap. At Coalinga College, Dean Bobby Mahfoud said students often come in with outdated views of farm work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a perception among young people that ag is just low-tech manual labor,” she said. “In reality, modern ag careers involve technology, sustainability, robotics, and data science.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The school offers programs in plant science, irrigation systems, and precision agriculture. Dual enrollment lets high school students sample the coursework early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054923\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054923\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-26-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-26-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-26-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-26-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A field of grapes in Fresno on Sept. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to combat the perception,” Mahfoud said. “It looks a lot different than it used to look.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, she admits that agriculture competes with other stable local employers, like state prisons and hospitals, which can offer clear benefits and retirement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the few young people embracing agriculture is 27-year-old Francisco Marin. His parents harvested table grapes in Bakersfield, and he joined them during his high school summers. It was grueling work, long days in 100-degree heat for $9 an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of turning away, Francisco leaned in. He’s now training to become a licensed pest control advisor, a job that could pay upwards of $80,000 a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My mom wanted me to hate the work so I’d stay in school,” he said. “But I fell in love with farming. Now she understands.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Francisco said he’s often the youngest in the field.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I look around, and yeah, I’m one of the youngest guys there,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Carmen, stories like Francisco’s are rare. In her crew, she only sees workers her age or older. Recruiting anyone under 30 feels impossible. She worries about what that means for the future of agriculture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Without people, we are nothing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s a cool morning in the small farm town of Caruthers in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/fresno\">Fresno\u003c/a> County. The sun hasn’t risen yet, but Carmen, a mayordoma, or crew supervisor, hops out of her truck and begins prepping the tools her workers will need to harvest grapes: knives, containers, sheets of parchment paper. She’s expecting at least six people to show up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s already a fraction of the crews she used to lead. After two decades in the fields herself, Carmen has spent the last four years as a supervisor. And lately, finding help is harder than ever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Young people don’t want to work in the fields anymore,” she said in Spanish. “And those who used to work here don’t have the strength.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This morning, just three workers showed up — all of them over 40.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carmen, 35, knows the work is tough and the Central Valley heat can be unforgiving. Like many parents who work in the field, she’s brought her kids to the fields so they can gain an appreciation for the work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And as an example of the kind of future they’ll have if they don’t pursue their education,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054922\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054922\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-20-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-20-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-20-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carmen, a field supervisor, picks grapes at a field in Fresno on Sept. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But there’s the contradiction. Even as she pushes her own children toward college, she knows that’s part of the reason her crews keep shrinking. What feels like a triumph for her family only deepens the challenge she faces each day as a supervisor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her experience reflects a larger shift: California’s farm labor force is aging, and few younger workers are stepping in to replace them. Meanwhile, the workforce is also under strain from the Trump Administration’s immigration policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1979, the average California farmworker was 30 years old. Today it’s 40, with many still laboring well into their 60s and 70s, according to Edward Flores, faculty director of the UC Merced Community and Labor Center, who has studied these changes.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Beginning in the 1970s, the U.S. experienced one of the largest migration waves in modern history: hundreds of thousands of young men and women came from Mexico to California, filling farm jobs that fueled the state’s agricultural boom. In 1969, the largest group of farmworkers was between 16 and 25. By the 1990s, it had shifted to 25 to 34, and the average age has only continued to rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If their parents have chronic health issues, struggle to make ends meet, and tell their kids to get an education instead, many children listen,” Flores said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The UC Merced Community and Labor Center documents this trend in its report\u003ca href=\"https://clc.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh626/f/page/documents/a_golden_age.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"> \u003cem>A Golden Age: California’s Aging Immigrant Workforce and its Implications for Safety Net Policy\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. The research shows that California’s noncitizen workforce, especially in agriculture, is aging rapidly while being largely excluded from Social Security and unemployment benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flores, who co-authored the report, warns that this leaves many longtime farmworkers with no safety net.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They harvest the food that we eat, but they cannot even afford to put food on their own table,” he said. “How do we care for those who have spent an entire lifetime in the fields and have no retirement?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054920\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054920\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-13-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-13-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-13-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farmworkers pick grapes at a field in Fresno on Sept. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>If California wants to attract new workers into agriculture, Flores argues, farm jobs need to pay enough to cover basic needs, come with stronger health and safety protections, and offer an economic safety net for workers as they age.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But demographics aren’t the only factor shaping who shows up to work. Recently, immigration enforcement has also kept crews thin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has often sent mixed signals on immigration policy. Federal agents have carried out \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-than-300-arrested-immigration-raids-southern-california-farms-feds/\">raids on farms\u003c/a> in California, even as Trump has publicly \u003ca href=\"https://www.axios.com/2025/06/20/trump-immigration-raids-farms\">suggested\u003c/a> that farmworkers could be spared. Those contradictions have left growers scrambling and many crews living with uncertainty.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Bryan Little of the California Farm Bureau said even the rumors of immigration enforcement have an impact on turnout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve had scattered reports of people not showing up to complete harvesting operations,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That fear, layered on top of an already aging workforce, only deepens the shortage. And with fewer reliable hands, growers are already reshaping agriculture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Little points to nut orchards, where once 20 workers harvested almonds with long poles, now a handful of people can run machines that shake trees and sweep nuts off the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Five people can do in half the time what 16 used to do all day,” Little said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some growers are experimenting with “assistive technologies,” like robotic carts that follow strawberry pickers down the rows. But Little cautions that without immigration reform and a more accessible guest worker program, those tools won’t be enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054919\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12054919 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grapes hang on a vine in a field in Fresno on Sept. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Farmers and advocates have been calling for that kind of change for decades, with little to show for it. The H2A program has long been criticized for being cumbersome and expensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, lawmakers \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-03-12/california-farm-groups-look-to-stabilize-workforce-amid-crackdown-illegal-immigration\">reintroduced\u003c/a> the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a bipartisan bill that would amend the guest worker program and create a path to legal status for longtime agricultural workers. But even after passing Congress in previous years, it remains stalled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colleges are also stepping in to address the gap. At Coalinga College, Dean Bobby Mahfoud said students often come in with outdated views of farm work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a perception among young people that ag is just low-tech manual labor,” she said. “In reality, modern ag careers involve technology, sustainability, robotics, and data science.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The school offers programs in plant science, irrigation systems, and precision agriculture. Dual enrollment lets high school students sample the coursework early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054923\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054923\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-26-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-26-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-26-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250903_FARMLABORCRISIS_GC-26-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A field of grapes in Fresno on Sept. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to combat the perception,” Mahfoud said. “It looks a lot different than it used to look.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, she admits that agriculture competes with other stable local employers, like state prisons and hospitals, which can offer clear benefits and retirement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the few young people embracing agriculture is 27-year-old Francisco Marin. His parents harvested table grapes in Bakersfield, and he joined them during his high school summers. It was grueling work, long days in 100-degree heat for $9 an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of turning away, Francisco leaned in. He’s now training to become a licensed pest control advisor, a job that could pay upwards of $80,000 a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My mom wanted me to hate the work so I’d stay in school,” he said. “But I fell in love with farming. Now she understands.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Francisco said he’s often the youngest in the field.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I look around, and yeah, I’m one of the youngest guys there,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Carmen, stories like Francisco’s are rare. In her crew, she only sees workers her age or older. Recruiting anyone under 30 feels impossible. She worries about what that means for the future of agriculture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Without people, we are nothing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>A worker at a Calistoga vineyard being investigated as the possible origin of Napa County’s destructive \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1998202/firefighters-gain-first-foothold-on-pickett-fire-in-napa-county\">Pickett Fire\u003c/a> told investigators he poured water on a pile of ashes that were discarded before the blaze began.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire questioned a contract worker, whose name is unknown, who was working on an outdoor fireplace at Hundred Acre Wines shortly before the fire broke out just over two weeks ago, according to Sam Singer, a public relations strategist who represents the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Officials are looking into the possibility that ashes from a newly completed outdoor fireplace could be the source of the Pickett Fire,” Singer said in a statement on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said the worker had been “tempering” the fireplace, which is the process of gradually heating and cooling the hearth’s materials to strengthen and cure them.[aside postID=science_1998202 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/Pickett-Fire-in-Napa-County-AP-2000x1456.jpg']“The contractor removed the ashes after the fire, put them in a bucket, doused them with water and then discarded them,” Singer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/-/media/calfire-website/about/communications/safe-home-heating.pdf\">According to Cal Fire\u003c/a>, to safely discard fireplace ashes, they should be placed in a covered, metal container at least 10 feet away from any buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire told KQED that investigators were looking into “all potential sources to determine the cause of the fire.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The destructive Pickett Fire broke out on the afternoon of Aug. 21 just east of Calistoga, quickly ripping through steep, hard-to-access terrain overnight and into the following day. Over the last two weeks, it has scorched nearly 7,000 acres of California’s wine country, destroying five buildings, threatening more than 100 others and potentially harming soon-to-be-harvested wine grapes growing in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, Cal Fire lifted all evacuation orders and warnings that had forced a few dozen residents to flee their homes, and as of Friday, fire crews had reached 90% containment on the blaze.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cp>A longtime \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> bookseller announced Wednesday that it would be acquired by bookstore giant Barnes & Noble, allowing it to keep its nine stores open after filing for bankruptcy earlier this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Books Inc., which has been a staple brick-and-morter bookstore in the Bay Area for more than 150 years, asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California to approve its sale to BI Acquisition Co., a Barnes and Noble affiliate, for $3.25 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the deal is approved, Books Inc. stores in San Francisco, the East Bay and on the Peninsula will get to keep their recognizable name, but have the resources of the larger corporation, according to CEO Andy Perham.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This agreement will ensure that Book Inc.’s legacy will continue for the foreseeable future,” Perham said in a statement. “With Barnes & Noble’s deep resources and world-class support, Books Inc. will be able to quickly modernize its operations so we can focus on what we do best: connecting people with books, ideas and each other.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like many indie bookstores, Books Inc. has struggled to remain profitable as online booksellers like Amazon entered the market, offering faster delivery, lower prices and more convenience. In January, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing revenue losses from rising operating costs and changing consumer habits during the COVID-19 pandemic, which shifted even more shopping online.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Retail patterns have changed a lot since COVID,” said Vanessa Martini, who works as the head buyer for San Francisco’s Green Apple Books. “[Books Inc.] had locations like in places that were heavily dependent on commuting workers that don’t really shop in those areas anymore.”[aside postID=news_12051278 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/PhilzCoffeeGetty.jpg']Martini said she lives near the Books Inc. at Opera Plaza on Van Ness Avenue, which is “definitely an area that just simply sees fewer people coming in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the initial news that Books Inc. had filed for bankruptcy was “crushing,” but the announcement that it would be bought by Barnes & Noble felt more bittersweet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is … disappointing to lose what was an indie bookstore to something that’s no longer indie,” she said, but added that the stores remaining open is a definite upside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another positive Martini sees in the deal is that Barnes & Noble is investing in the indie model — “they’re seeing where the money can actually be made,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2024, Barnes & Noble purchased Denver-based Tattered Cover’s book stores after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The chain has also been opening smaller stores that feel more local and personable, Martini said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you go into the newly opened Barnes & Noble that they are positioning, there are smaller footprints, they have much more obvious staff involvement, like handwritten shelf talkers, which didn’t used to be the case,” she told KQED. “They have front table displays that are definitely modeled after the indie selections.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because even as in-person book shopping declines, she said, indie bookstores offer a purchasing experience that’s different from Amazon, or even Barnes & Noble. At those neighborhood stores, she said, people are more often introduced to new authors or titles, and more likely to pick up a book in a genre they wouldn’t usually because it’s on one of their aesthetic display tables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What an indie bookstore does is [say] ‘OK, here’s the thing that you know about and have heard about, but here’s something else that you never would have picked up without somebody who’s plumbed through all of the thousands of pieces of publisher catalog copy to find the most interesting thing for you,’” Martini said. “The power of discovery is still what indie bookstores do best.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/rachael-myrow\">\u003cem>Rachael Myrow\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "If the deal is approved, the book stores scattered across the Bay Area will get to keep their recognizable name, Books Inc. CEO Andy Perham said. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A longtime \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> bookseller announced Wednesday that it would be acquired by bookstore giant Barnes & Noble, allowing it to keep its nine stores open after filing for bankruptcy earlier this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Books Inc., which has been a staple brick-and-morter bookstore in the Bay Area for more than 150 years, asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California to approve its sale to BI Acquisition Co., a Barnes and Noble affiliate, for $3.25 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the deal is approved, Books Inc. stores in San Francisco, the East Bay and on the Peninsula will get to keep their recognizable name, but have the resources of the larger corporation, according to CEO Andy Perham.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This agreement will ensure that Book Inc.’s legacy will continue for the foreseeable future,” Perham said in a statement. “With Barnes & Noble’s deep resources and world-class support, Books Inc. will be able to quickly modernize its operations so we can focus on what we do best: connecting people with books, ideas and each other.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like many indie bookstores, Books Inc. has struggled to remain profitable as online booksellers like Amazon entered the market, offering faster delivery, lower prices and more convenience. In January, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing revenue losses from rising operating costs and changing consumer habits during the COVID-19 pandemic, which shifted even more shopping online.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Retail patterns have changed a lot since COVID,” said Vanessa Martini, who works as the head buyer for San Francisco’s Green Apple Books. “[Books Inc.] had locations like in places that were heavily dependent on commuting workers that don’t really shop in those areas anymore.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Martini said she lives near the Books Inc. at Opera Plaza on Van Ness Avenue, which is “definitely an area that just simply sees fewer people coming in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the initial news that Books Inc. had filed for bankruptcy was “crushing,” but the announcement that it would be bought by Barnes & Noble felt more bittersweet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is … disappointing to lose what was an indie bookstore to something that’s no longer indie,” she said, but added that the stores remaining open is a definite upside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another positive Martini sees in the deal is that Barnes & Noble is investing in the indie model — “they’re seeing where the money can actually be made,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2024, Barnes & Noble purchased Denver-based Tattered Cover’s book stores after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The chain has also been opening smaller stores that feel more local and personable, Martini said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you go into the newly opened Barnes & Noble that they are positioning, there are smaller footprints, they have much more obvious staff involvement, like handwritten shelf talkers, which didn’t used to be the case,” she told KQED. “They have front table displays that are definitely modeled after the indie selections.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because even as in-person book shopping declines, she said, indie bookstores offer a purchasing experience that’s different from Amazon, or even Barnes & Noble. At those neighborhood stores, she said, people are more often introduced to new authors or titles, and more likely to pick up a book in a genre they wouldn’t usually because it’s on one of their aesthetic display tables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What an indie bookstore does is [say] ‘OK, here’s the thing that you know about and have heard about, but here’s something else that you never would have picked up without somebody who’s plumbed through all of the thousands of pieces of publisher catalog copy to find the most interesting thing for you,’” Martini said. “The power of discovery is still what indie bookstores do best.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/rachael-myrow\">\u003cem>Rachael Myrow\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "working-inside-during-a-heat-wave-what-to-know-about-californias-new-protections",
"title": "Working Indoors During a Heat Wave? These California Rules Protect You",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12002744/trabaja-en-interiores-durante-una-ola-de-calor-descubra-como-le-protegen-las-leyes-de-california\">\u003cstrong>Leer en español\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]A[/dropcap] year since \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11991314/california-board-approves-long-awaited-heat-protections-for-most-indoor-workers\">California established heat rules for indoor workplaces\u003c/a>, labor organizers say employees are still being exposed to dangerously high temperatures on the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://californiafastfoodworkersunion.org/heatinfastfood/\">survey data released last month\u003c/a> by the California Fast Food Workers Union and Oakland-based labor rights group Worksafe, roughly 60% of fast food chain employees in the state are still dealing with excessive heat during their shifts — and almost half of those surveyed have experienced heat illness symptoms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Out of the 338 employees surveyed across dozens of cities, only 9% said their employers actually complied with rules meant to protect workers from excessive heat on the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California fast food workers fought for the\u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/heatillnessinfo.html\"> Indoor Heat Illness Prevention\u003c/a> standard, and now we are fighting to make its protections real,” wrote Anneisha Williams, member of the state’s Fast Food Council, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11974073/california-gave-fast-food-workers-a-seat-at-the-table-what-comes-next\">which negotiates working conditions with restaurant chains.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to the data, labor organizers are asking local officials to organize more “know your rights” training for employees within the fast food industry.[aside postID=news_11991314]However, these \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/heat-illness/indoor.html\">protections against excessive heat on the job\u003c/a> actually apply to all indoor workers in the state, including those employed in manufacturing, warehouses, supermarkets and offices. And the state’s workplace safety agency Cal/OSHA is responsible for making sure companies actually follow these rules — and investigates potential violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED spoke to both Cal/OSHA and labor rights advocates to understand these workplace protections and how workers can advocate for themselves if their employer is enabling a dangerously hot work environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even if you don’t feel comfortable talking about these things with your supervisor, you should know: you still have options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11999047\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11999047\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/20230927-Biggest-Pupusa-018-JY_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/20230927-Biggest-Pupusa-018-JY_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/20230927-Biggest-Pupusa-018-JY_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/20230927-Biggest-Pupusa-018-JY_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/20230927-Biggest-Pupusa-018-JY_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/20230927-Biggest-Pupusa-018-JY_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/20230927-Biggest-Pupusa-018-JY_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A worker places a finished pupusa on a plate at a restaurant in Hayward. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>What are California’s new heat protections for indoor workers?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/Indoor-Heat-updated-txtbrdconsider.pdf\">The state’s rules for indoor workplaces are about a dozen pages long\u003c/a> and are split into two sections:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Your rights as an employee — and responsibilities of your employer — when temperatures in the workplace \u003cstrong>reach or exceed 82 degrees.\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>What your employer must do when temperatures \u003cstrong>reach or exceed 87 degrees.\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Remember, these rules refer to the temperature of the area where you work, not the temperature outside on the street. Once temperatures reach 82 degrees inside your indoor workplace, your employer needs to provide you with four things:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water for employees\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Employers must provide each worker with at least two gallons of water per day, which is about two 16.9 oz water bottles per hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This water should be “fresh, pure and suitably cool,” said Eric Berg, chief of health for Cal/OSHA. “Water should be free of charge. Employers can never charge employees for this,” he said.“It has to be as close as practicable where employees are working.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a worker needs more water during their shift, they should be able to drink all the water they need without fear of reprisal. If folks are running low on water, it’s the employer’s responsibility to have a plan in place to get more water before it runs out — not the employees’.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Cool-down areas for employees\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This can be an outdoor shaded area or an indoor rest area that’s cool,” Berg said. This space must stay at a temperature that’s less than 82 degrees and be available whenever a worker feels like they need it. These cool-down areas also must be big enough to comfortably fit employees and have fresh water that is easily accessible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Berg adds, cool-down areas must also be spaces that workers aren’t discouraged from using, like a manager’s office. “It’s not going to feel comfortable to rest inside the manager’s office,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rest for employees\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the state’s indoor heat rules, workers in California have the right to take preventative cool-down rests whenever they feel close to overheating. This break can happen in the designated cool-down area anytime during a worker’s shift. While they’re taking that break, their supervisor needs to check in with them to ask if they are experiencing any symptoms of heat illness. A worker can keep resting until they feel ready to go back into the workplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a worker feels or shows \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/extreme-heat/signs-symptoms/index.html\">symptoms of heat illness\u003c/a> (like vomiting, feeling disoriented, walking unsteadily or acting irrationally), their supervisor needs to immediately provide first aid or get the affected employee medical attention. And if someone is, in fact, found to be experiencing heat illness, they can’t be ordered back to work until all their symptoms have gone away and they have fully recovered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Training for employees and supervisors\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both employees and supervisors need to be trained about these new Cal/OSHA protections, which are required by law. Workers should know the symptoms of heat illness, while employers should ensure supervisors are trained on how to monitor the health of their team and what to do during an emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Your rights when indoor workplace temperatures reach 87 degrees\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Once your workplace reaches 87 degrees, your boss still needs to provide you with the four basic protections (water, cool-down areas, rest and training) above. But on top of those, they also need to start doing what Cal/OSHA calls “assessment and control measures.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What does this mean? Put simply, your employer needs to start keeping a detailed record of the temperature in your workplace throughout the work shift. The records need to include the date, time, and specific location of all measurements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And something important to clarify: your employer cannot just look at the weather app on their phone and record that temperature. They need to manually measure the temperature of the workspace itself using an actual thermometer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='Our Guide for Outdoor Workers' postID=news_11886628]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having this record in place can also help workers in the future if they need to report an unsafe workplace, said AnaStacia Nicol Wright, policy manager at Worksafe, an Oakland-based labor rights nonprofit that’s advocated for years in favor of indoor heat protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the employee chooses to take some kind of legal action, there are these records that were supposed to be kept that they can request access to,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something else to keep in mind: if your job requires you to wear full body clothing throughout your shift, your employer is required to start keeping track of temperature earlier on, when it’s 82 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Full body clothing would be protective equipment or coveralls meant to protect the product or protect the employee from contamination,” Berg from Cal/OSHA said. “It doesn’t include breathable clothing, like a uniform.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11999044\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11999044\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_2471-headline-photo_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_2471-headline-photo_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_2471-headline-photo_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_2471-headline-photo_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_2471-headline-photo_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_2471-headline-photo_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_2471-headline-photo_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers assemble frozen meals at Amy’s Kitchen in Santa Rosa in 2022. California heat protections for indoor workers include guidelines for those who must wear full-body clothing. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Is my employer required to have A/C installed during a heat wave?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>No, the new heat regulations don’t require employers to install air conditioning in the workplace if they don’t already have it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/Indoor-Heat-updated-txtbrdconsider.pdf\">rulebook\u003c/a>, Cal/OSHA considers air conditioning to be a type of “control measure” and employers “shall use control measures … to minimize the risk of heat illness.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If A/C is available on-site, it should be turned on to bring the temperature down to below 87 degrees. The same goes for any cooling fans and swamp coolers available. And if this isn’t enough to bring temperatures below 87 degrees, employers then have to start applying other strategies, including:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Requiring cool-down breaks with more frequency\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Rotating different workers in high-heat areas\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Distributing personal heat-protective equipment to employees\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>But if there isn’t A/C already on-site — as is the case in many Bay Area homes and workplaces — an employer isn’t required to install it. That’s because Cal/OSHA has to take into account all the different types of workplaces in California before establishing a new rule, Berg said. This part of the rulebook “doesn’t dictate a specific measure,” he explained. “It just says to look at all the possible controls and implement what’s effective and what’s feasible for that workplace.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, that doesn’t prevent workers from coming together to request A/C if they feel they need it — as was the case of Acevedo and her coworkers at the Taco Bell in San José.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Do these protections apply to everyone who works indoors?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA’s heat rules protect every person working indoors in California — with one exception: people who work in prisons, local detention facilities and juvenile facilities. California’s prisons \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11993408/incarcerated-women-plead-for-help-after-central-valley-prison-death-amid-extreme-heat\">employ tens of thousands of guards, nurses, janitors and other positions\u003c/a>, along with nearly 39,000 incarcerated people who also have jobs in state prisons, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11983846/state-prisons-offset-new-inmate-wage-hikes-by-cutting-hours-for-some-workers\">most of whom make less than $1 per hour\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the fact that prisons are also exposed to extreme heat — officials are currently investigating the death of a woman imprisoned at the Central California Women’s Facility in Madera County that advocates \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11993408/incarcerated-women-plead-for-help-after-central-valley-prison-death-amid-extreme-heat\">say was a case of heat exhaustion\u003c/a> — Cal/OSHA does not include this population in the new protections. That’s because regulators agreed to exempt state prisons as part of a compromise with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration, which claimed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11983396/prison-workers-excluded-from-indoor-heat-protections-by-california-regulators\">including prisons would cost these facilities billions of dollars to comply\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11983396]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Outside of prisons, these regulations apply in every single indoor workplace in the state, including restaurants, schools, offices, shops, warehouses, factories and any other type of facility where employees work indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also apply when workers lack a permanent legal status in the United States. “All our regulations that protect workers apply regardless of what papers a person may have or not have,” Cal/OSHA’s Berg said. “Immigration status has no importance whatsoever.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heat protections also apply in workspaces where employees are working without a formal job contract in place. If there’s an exchange of money for work you’re doing, that establishes an employer-employee relationship, even without a signed contract.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"options\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>It’s over 82 degrees where I work, but my employer isn’t following the state’s rules. What can I do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Now that these rules are in place, workers have a role to play in making sure their employers actually follow them, Wright with Worksafe said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t just rely on the goodness of humanity,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>First, share the information\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your employer isn’t providing you and your coworkers with \u003ca href=\"#water\">enough water, rest or training\u003c/a> during a heat wave, you are protected by law to bring this up to your supervisor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It might be possible that they are indeed unaware of the new regulations — and if that’s the case, you can share with them \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/Indoor-Heat-updated-txtbrdconsider.pdf\">the complete Cal/OSHA rules\u003c/a> and let them know that the agency \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/consultation_offices.html\">can even help them create a plan to fulfill all the requirements\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Keep a record of what’s going on\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, not all workers may have a positive relationship with their supervisor. If you think your employer is simply refusing to provide heat protections, Wright recommends that you start documenting what’s happening at work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Document, log and write down whenever your employer fails to provide these protections,” she said. These notes don’t have to be too complex, she adds — they can be as simple as making a quick note on your phone or on a piece of paper that you keep to yourself, which describes things like asking your supervisor for water or a cool-down break and being turned down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just write down the date and time,” Wright said. She gives the following as an example of what an effective note could look like:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>July 1: there was no cooldown area provided. At 1:30 p.m., I asked my employer if I could sit down and take a break in his office because it has A/C and he said no. I asked again at 3:30 p.m. because I told him I wasn’t feeling well. He said no again.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Keeping track of everything going on at your workplace will help you later down the line if you choose to file a complaint against your employer with Cal/OSHA. With that in mind, Wright recommends talking with your employer about heat issues through email or text so you have a written record of their response as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now it gets tricky,” she said, “because once you start documenting things like that — especially if you work somewhere where you’re not normally talking via email correspondence — [your employer] will probably get the idea that you’re trying to lay the groundwork for a legal case.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re nervous about how your boss may react if you start talking about what’s happening at your job, another option is to first talk to your coworkers and check in if they’re also struggling with the heat. “If you act in pairs — if you were to go and complain with another employee, you’re engaging in what’s considered ‘concerted action’ and that gives you some additional protections,” Wright said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11956413]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stay calm and document anything you’re experiencing that goes against the rights the state legally affords you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can file a safety complaint against your employer with Cal/OSHA by contacting the agency’s field office closest to your place of work. \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/DistrictOffices.htm\">A list with the contact information of each field office is available on the Cal/OSHA website\u003c/a>. You can even file a complaint anonymously if you fear possible retaliation by your employer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you feel nervous about contacting Cal/OSHA, you can also reach out to one of the many organizations in California that provides free legal aid to workers to talk about what’s happening at your job:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://legalaidatwork.org/clinics/workers-rights-clinic/\">Legal Aid at Work\u003c/a>: 415-404-9093\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.asianlawcaucus.org/get-help#workers-rights\">Asian Law Caucus\u003c/a>: 415-896-1701\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.centrolegal.org/workers-rights/\">Centro Legal de la Raza\u003c/a> (Oakland): 510-437-1554\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.lrcl.org/workers-rights\">La Raza Centro Legal\u003c/a> (San Francisco): 415-575-3500\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tuwu.org/\">Trabajadores Unidos Workers United\u003c/a>: 415-621-4155\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.rightscenter.org/get-help/\">Center for Workers’ Rights\u003c/a> (Sacramento): 916-905-5857\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://crla.org/#block-views-block-get-help-terms-block-1\">California Rural Legal Assistance\u003c/a> (Central Valley): 800-337-0690\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>What if your employer retaliates against you?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Documenting when your employer isn’t keeping you safe — and speaking out about it — is protected in California by law. In fact, it’s illegal for an employer to fire or cut the hours of someone who speaks up about their labor rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But while that’s what the law says, the reality can be much more complicated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They can’t retaliate against you — but the reality is that they can,” Wright said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some employers will step up and start following safety rules once they see workers start to take action, she said. “Sometimes you put them on notice that you know your rights.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But you do have to unfortunately consider that this could put you on your employer’s radar and risk losing your job because of it,” Wright said. “It’s not fair. It’s not right. Anytime we have a client, we have to tell them of what may happen once you file against your employer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you lose your job or hours after talking to your employer about heat protections, you have a reason to file a retaliation complaint with the state Labor Commissioner’s Office. You can \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/rci_osha_complaint.htm\">file a retaliation complaint \u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/rci_osha_complaint.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online \u003c/a>by\u003c/span> calling 714-558-4913 or \u003ca href=\"oshaRetaliation@dir.ca.gov\">through email\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While it takes several months for a complaint to move through the Labor Commissioner’s Office, this agency does have the power to investigate employers, impose penalties and give affected workers their lost wages or even their job back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This guide includes reporting from KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero and Brian Krans, and was originally published on August 6, 2024.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12002744/trabaja-en-interiores-durante-una-ola-de-calor-descubra-como-le-protegen-las-leyes-de-california\">\u003cstrong>Leer en español\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">A\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp> year since \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11991314/california-board-approves-long-awaited-heat-protections-for-most-indoor-workers\">California established heat rules for indoor workplaces\u003c/a>, labor organizers say employees are still being exposed to dangerously high temperatures on the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://californiafastfoodworkersunion.org/heatinfastfood/\">survey data released last month\u003c/a> by the California Fast Food Workers Union and Oakland-based labor rights group Worksafe, roughly 60% of fast food chain employees in the state are still dealing with excessive heat during their shifts — and almost half of those surveyed have experienced heat illness symptoms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Out of the 338 employees surveyed across dozens of cities, only 9% said their employers actually complied with rules meant to protect workers from excessive heat on the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California fast food workers fought for the\u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/heatillnessinfo.html\"> Indoor Heat Illness Prevention\u003c/a> standard, and now we are fighting to make its protections real,” wrote Anneisha Williams, member of the state’s Fast Food Council, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11974073/california-gave-fast-food-workers-a-seat-at-the-table-what-comes-next\">which negotiates working conditions with restaurant chains.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to the data, labor organizers are asking local officials to organize more “know your rights” training for employees within the fast food industry.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>However, these \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/heat-illness/indoor.html\">protections against excessive heat on the job\u003c/a> actually apply to all indoor workers in the state, including those employed in manufacturing, warehouses, supermarkets and offices. And the state’s workplace safety agency Cal/OSHA is responsible for making sure companies actually follow these rules — and investigates potential violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED spoke to both Cal/OSHA and labor rights advocates to understand these workplace protections and how workers can advocate for themselves if their employer is enabling a dangerously hot work environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even if you don’t feel comfortable talking about these things with your supervisor, you should know: you still have options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11999047\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11999047\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/20230927-Biggest-Pupusa-018-JY_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/20230927-Biggest-Pupusa-018-JY_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/20230927-Biggest-Pupusa-018-JY_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/20230927-Biggest-Pupusa-018-JY_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/20230927-Biggest-Pupusa-018-JY_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/20230927-Biggest-Pupusa-018-JY_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/20230927-Biggest-Pupusa-018-JY_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A worker places a finished pupusa on a plate at a restaurant in Hayward. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>What are California’s new heat protections for indoor workers?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/Indoor-Heat-updated-txtbrdconsider.pdf\">The state’s rules for indoor workplaces are about a dozen pages long\u003c/a> and are split into two sections:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Your rights as an employee — and responsibilities of your employer — when temperatures in the workplace \u003cstrong>reach or exceed 82 degrees.\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>What your employer must do when temperatures \u003cstrong>reach or exceed 87 degrees.\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Remember, these rules refer to the temperature of the area where you work, not the temperature outside on the street. Once temperatures reach 82 degrees inside your indoor workplace, your employer needs to provide you with four things:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water for employees\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Employers must provide each worker with at least two gallons of water per day, which is about two 16.9 oz water bottles per hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This water should be “fresh, pure and suitably cool,” said Eric Berg, chief of health for Cal/OSHA. “Water should be free of charge. Employers can never charge employees for this,” he said.“It has to be as close as practicable where employees are working.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a worker needs more water during their shift, they should be able to drink all the water they need without fear of reprisal. If folks are running low on water, it’s the employer’s responsibility to have a plan in place to get more water before it runs out — not the employees’.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Cool-down areas for employees\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This can be an outdoor shaded area or an indoor rest area that’s cool,” Berg said. This space must stay at a temperature that’s less than 82 degrees and be available whenever a worker feels like they need it. These cool-down areas also must be big enough to comfortably fit employees and have fresh water that is easily accessible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Berg adds, cool-down areas must also be spaces that workers aren’t discouraged from using, like a manager’s office. “It’s not going to feel comfortable to rest inside the manager’s office,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rest for employees\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the state’s indoor heat rules, workers in California have the right to take preventative cool-down rests whenever they feel close to overheating. This break can happen in the designated cool-down area anytime during a worker’s shift. While they’re taking that break, their supervisor needs to check in with them to ask if they are experiencing any symptoms of heat illness. A worker can keep resting until they feel ready to go back into the workplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a worker feels or shows \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/extreme-heat/signs-symptoms/index.html\">symptoms of heat illness\u003c/a> (like vomiting, feeling disoriented, walking unsteadily or acting irrationally), their supervisor needs to immediately provide first aid or get the affected employee medical attention. And if someone is, in fact, found to be experiencing heat illness, they can’t be ordered back to work until all their symptoms have gone away and they have fully recovered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Training for employees and supervisors\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both employees and supervisors need to be trained about these new Cal/OSHA protections, which are required by law. Workers should know the symptoms of heat illness, while employers should ensure supervisors are trained on how to monitor the health of their team and what to do during an emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Your rights when indoor workplace temperatures reach 87 degrees\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Once your workplace reaches 87 degrees, your boss still needs to provide you with the four basic protections (water, cool-down areas, rest and training) above. But on top of those, they also need to start doing what Cal/OSHA calls “assessment and control measures.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What does this mean? Put simply, your employer needs to start keeping a detailed record of the temperature in your workplace throughout the work shift. The records need to include the date, time, and specific location of all measurements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And something important to clarify: your employer cannot just look at the weather app on their phone and record that temperature. They need to manually measure the temperature of the workspace itself using an actual thermometer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having this record in place can also help workers in the future if they need to report an unsafe workplace, said AnaStacia Nicol Wright, policy manager at Worksafe, an Oakland-based labor rights nonprofit that’s advocated for years in favor of indoor heat protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the employee chooses to take some kind of legal action, there are these records that were supposed to be kept that they can request access to,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something else to keep in mind: if your job requires you to wear full body clothing throughout your shift, your employer is required to start keeping track of temperature earlier on, when it’s 82 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Full body clothing would be protective equipment or coveralls meant to protect the product or protect the employee from contamination,” Berg from Cal/OSHA said. “It doesn’t include breathable clothing, like a uniform.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11999044\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11999044\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_2471-headline-photo_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_2471-headline-photo_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_2471-headline-photo_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_2471-headline-photo_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_2471-headline-photo_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_2471-headline-photo_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_2471-headline-photo_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers assemble frozen meals at Amy’s Kitchen in Santa Rosa in 2022. California heat protections for indoor workers include guidelines for those who must wear full-body clothing. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Is my employer required to have A/C installed during a heat wave?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>No, the new heat regulations don’t require employers to install air conditioning in the workplace if they don’t already have it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/Indoor-Heat-updated-txtbrdconsider.pdf\">rulebook\u003c/a>, Cal/OSHA considers air conditioning to be a type of “control measure” and employers “shall use control measures … to minimize the risk of heat illness.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If A/C is available on-site, it should be turned on to bring the temperature down to below 87 degrees. The same goes for any cooling fans and swamp coolers available. And if this isn’t enough to bring temperatures below 87 degrees, employers then have to start applying other strategies, including:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Requiring cool-down breaks with more frequency\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Rotating different workers in high-heat areas\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Distributing personal heat-protective equipment to employees\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>But if there isn’t A/C already on-site — as is the case in many Bay Area homes and workplaces — an employer isn’t required to install it. That’s because Cal/OSHA has to take into account all the different types of workplaces in California before establishing a new rule, Berg said. This part of the rulebook “doesn’t dictate a specific measure,” he explained. “It just says to look at all the possible controls and implement what’s effective and what’s feasible for that workplace.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, that doesn’t prevent workers from coming together to request A/C if they feel they need it — as was the case of Acevedo and her coworkers at the Taco Bell in San José.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Do these protections apply to everyone who works indoors?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA’s heat rules protect every person working indoors in California — with one exception: people who work in prisons, local detention facilities and juvenile facilities. California’s prisons \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11993408/incarcerated-women-plead-for-help-after-central-valley-prison-death-amid-extreme-heat\">employ tens of thousands of guards, nurses, janitors and other positions\u003c/a>, along with nearly 39,000 incarcerated people who also have jobs in state prisons, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11983846/state-prisons-offset-new-inmate-wage-hikes-by-cutting-hours-for-some-workers\">most of whom make less than $1 per hour\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the fact that prisons are also exposed to extreme heat — officials are currently investigating the death of a woman imprisoned at the Central California Women’s Facility in Madera County that advocates \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11993408/incarcerated-women-plead-for-help-after-central-valley-prison-death-amid-extreme-heat\">say was a case of heat exhaustion\u003c/a> — Cal/OSHA does not include this population in the new protections. That’s because regulators agreed to exempt state prisons as part of a compromise with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration, which claimed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11983396/prison-workers-excluded-from-indoor-heat-protections-by-california-regulators\">including prisons would cost these facilities billions of dollars to comply\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Outside of prisons, these regulations apply in every single indoor workplace in the state, including restaurants, schools, offices, shops, warehouses, factories and any other type of facility where employees work indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also apply when workers lack a permanent legal status in the United States. “All our regulations that protect workers apply regardless of what papers a person may have or not have,” Cal/OSHA’s Berg said. “Immigration status has no importance whatsoever.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heat protections also apply in workspaces where employees are working without a formal job contract in place. If there’s an exchange of money for work you’re doing, that establishes an employer-employee relationship, even without a signed contract.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"options\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>It’s over 82 degrees where I work, but my employer isn’t following the state’s rules. What can I do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Now that these rules are in place, workers have a role to play in making sure their employers actually follow them, Wright with Worksafe said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t just rely on the goodness of humanity,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>First, share the information\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your employer isn’t providing you and your coworkers with \u003ca href=\"#water\">enough water, rest or training\u003c/a> during a heat wave, you are protected by law to bring this up to your supervisor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It might be possible that they are indeed unaware of the new regulations — and if that’s the case, you can share with them \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/Indoor-Heat-updated-txtbrdconsider.pdf\">the complete Cal/OSHA rules\u003c/a> and let them know that the agency \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/consultation_offices.html\">can even help them create a plan to fulfill all the requirements\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Keep a record of what’s going on\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, not all workers may have a positive relationship with their supervisor. If you think your employer is simply refusing to provide heat protections, Wright recommends that you start documenting what’s happening at work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Document, log and write down whenever your employer fails to provide these protections,” she said. These notes don’t have to be too complex, she adds — they can be as simple as making a quick note on your phone or on a piece of paper that you keep to yourself, which describes things like asking your supervisor for water or a cool-down break and being turned down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just write down the date and time,” Wright said. She gives the following as an example of what an effective note could look like:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>July 1: there was no cooldown area provided. At 1:30 p.m., I asked my employer if I could sit down and take a break in his office because it has A/C and he said no. I asked again at 3:30 p.m. because I told him I wasn’t feeling well. He said no again.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Keeping track of everything going on at your workplace will help you later down the line if you choose to file a complaint against your employer with Cal/OSHA. With that in mind, Wright recommends talking with your employer about heat issues through email or text so you have a written record of their response as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now it gets tricky,” she said, “because once you start documenting things like that — especially if you work somewhere where you’re not normally talking via email correspondence — [your employer] will probably get the idea that you’re trying to lay the groundwork for a legal case.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re nervous about how your boss may react if you start talking about what’s happening at your job, another option is to first talk to your coworkers and check in if they’re also struggling with the heat. “If you act in pairs — if you were to go and complain with another employee, you’re engaging in what’s considered ‘concerted action’ and that gives you some additional protections,” Wright said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stay calm and document anything you’re experiencing that goes against the rights the state legally affords you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can file a safety complaint against your employer with Cal/OSHA by contacting the agency’s field office closest to your place of work. \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/DistrictOffices.htm\">A list with the contact information of each field office is available on the Cal/OSHA website\u003c/a>. You can even file a complaint anonymously if you fear possible retaliation by your employer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you feel nervous about contacting Cal/OSHA, you can also reach out to one of the many organizations in California that provides free legal aid to workers to talk about what’s happening at your job:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://legalaidatwork.org/clinics/workers-rights-clinic/\">Legal Aid at Work\u003c/a>: 415-404-9093\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.asianlawcaucus.org/get-help#workers-rights\">Asian Law Caucus\u003c/a>: 415-896-1701\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.centrolegal.org/workers-rights/\">Centro Legal de la Raza\u003c/a> (Oakland): 510-437-1554\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.lrcl.org/workers-rights\">La Raza Centro Legal\u003c/a> (San Francisco): 415-575-3500\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tuwu.org/\">Trabajadores Unidos Workers United\u003c/a>: 415-621-4155\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.rightscenter.org/get-help/\">Center for Workers’ Rights\u003c/a> (Sacramento): 916-905-5857\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://crla.org/#block-views-block-get-help-terms-block-1\">California Rural Legal Assistance\u003c/a> (Central Valley): 800-337-0690\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>What if your employer retaliates against you?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Documenting when your employer isn’t keeping you safe — and speaking out about it — is protected in California by law. In fact, it’s illegal for an employer to fire or cut the hours of someone who speaks up about their labor rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But while that’s what the law says, the reality can be much more complicated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They can’t retaliate against you — but the reality is that they can,” Wright said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some employers will step up and start following safety rules once they see workers start to take action, she said. “Sometimes you put them on notice that you know your rights.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But you do have to unfortunately consider that this could put you on your employer’s radar and risk losing your job because of it,” Wright said. “It’s not fair. It’s not right. Anytime we have a client, we have to tell them of what may happen once you file against your employer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you lose your job or hours after talking to your employer about heat protections, you have a reason to file a retaliation complaint with the state Labor Commissioner’s Office. You can \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/rci_osha_complaint.htm\">file a retaliation complaint \u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/rci_osha_complaint.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online \u003c/a>by\u003c/span> calling 714-558-4913 or \u003ca href=\"oshaRetaliation@dir.ca.gov\">through email\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While it takes several months for a complaint to move through the Labor Commissioner’s Office, this agency does have the power to investigate employers, impose penalties and give affected workers their lost wages or even their job back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This guide includes reporting from KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero and Brian Krans, and was originally published on August 6, 2024.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "National Parks Staff at Yosemite and Sequoia Unionize, Citing DOGE Firings and Working Conditions",
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"content": "\u003cp>More than 600 staff across Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks have unionized after results of a summer election were \u003ca href=\"https://nffe.org/press-release/workers-at-yosemite-sequoia-kings-canyon-national-parks-organize-a-union-under-nffe/\">certified this week.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the National Federation of Federal Employees, a union that represents employees of the federal government, 97% of employees voted to elect NFFE as their union representative. The voting lasted from July 22 to Aug. 19, and included both permanent and seasonal employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The NFFE already represents workers at a number of national parks across the country, including Yellowstone and Cuyahoga Valley National Parks. At the two California parks, all National Park Service employees — from park rangers to researchers to first responders — will be eligible for the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to one park ranger who was part of the parks’ unionizing effort, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, said the move was largely driven by the White House’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12041320/in-crisis-mode-former-national-park-leaders-say-cuts-will-hit-public-lands-hard\">mass layoff of parks workers\u003c/a> in February — many of whom were reinstated as the legality of the firings is being \u003ca href=\"https://federalnewsnetwork.com/federal-report/2025/08/courts-ready-to-hear-arguments-on-fired-probationary-feds-cases/\">debated in court. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These firings kind of tipped over the scale,” the ranger said. “We need to have some protections, and I wish that we had had them before February, but better late than never.” (KQED has reached out to NPS for comment on the unionization.)\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Someone on our side’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Under President Donald Trump’s second administration, National Park Service staff have found themselves increasingly under fire. In addition to the February layoffs and his \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/06/08/nx-s1-5424547/trumps-efforts-to-cut-national-parks-budget-faces-bipartisan-pushback\">proposal to slash the National Park Service’s budget\u003c/a>, Trump issued an executive order in March directing parks staff — and visitors — to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049405/muir-woods-national-monument-exhibit-removal-trump-executive-order-national-parks-history-under-construction-sticky-notes\">flag any content on display within national parks that “inappropriately disparage[s] Americans past or living”\u003c/a> for removal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npca.org/articles/9551-staffing-crisis-at-national-parks-reaches-breaking-point-new-data-shows-24\">Permanent staffing at national parks around the United States has fallen 24% \u003c/a>since Trump took office, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12029490\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12029490\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandGetty2-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandGetty2-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandGetty2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandGetty2-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People demonstrate against federal employee layoffs at Yosemite National Park on March 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Laure Andrillon/AFP via Getty)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When it comes to contract negotiations, National President of the NFFE Randy Erwin said the union also hopes to address longstanding issues facing national parks workers like low pay and what he called “deplorable” housing conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re tired of their agencies and the work that they do being threatened,” he said, “and they understand that through a union, they can protect themselves and solve a lot of the problems that they’re dealing with right now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The park ranger who spoke to KQED echoed Erwin’s concerns about housing and other workplace safety issues, noting that while this year has brought \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12053628/richmond-rally-national-parks-trump-white-house-rosie-the-riveter-world-war-ii-homefront\">unprecedented challenges to their workforce\u003c/a>, workers have long been calling for better working conditions.[aside postID=news_12053078 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/YosemiteTransFlagGetty.jpg']Park staff’s requests have included hazard pay for working outside amid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1926793/protecting-your-health-from-toxic-wildfire-smoke\">dangerous levels of wildfire smoke\u003c/a> and employer-provided housing that’s safe from contaminants like hantavirus — a disease \u003ca href=\"https://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/national-parks/death-yosemite-story-behind-last-summers-hantavirus-outbreak/?scope=anon\">that has long posed a health problem at Yosemite\u003c/a>. That’s on top of their concerns that rising rent costs at the employer-provided housing are outpacing their pay increases, the ranger said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our employer is not just responsible for our salary and workplace, but also they’re our landlord,” the ranger said. “So they control our rent, they control our housing quality … and so it just makes sense that there should be a contract that goes the other direction as well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Erwin said the union may face obstacles in negotiating with the federal government, as NFFE has been “\u003ca href=\"https://nffe.org/press-release/nffe-urges-house-members-to-sign-discharge-petition-to-force-vote-on-restoring-collective-bargaining-rights-for-federal-workers/\">getting all kinds of pushback from this administration in collective bargaining\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in the near term, the ranger told KQED that park workers will have access to something new: legal representation should they get fired or be subject to any illegal practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The union can hold [the administration] to some level of accountability, to do their diligence,” he said. “That would go a long ways in all of this — to feel like there’s someone on our side.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>More than 600 staff across Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks have unionized after results of a summer election were \u003ca href=\"https://nffe.org/press-release/workers-at-yosemite-sequoia-kings-canyon-national-parks-organize-a-union-under-nffe/\">certified this week.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the National Federation of Federal Employees, a union that represents employees of the federal government, 97% of employees voted to elect NFFE as their union representative. The voting lasted from July 22 to Aug. 19, and included both permanent and seasonal employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The NFFE already represents workers at a number of national parks across the country, including Yellowstone and Cuyahoga Valley National Parks. At the two California parks, all National Park Service employees — from park rangers to researchers to first responders — will be eligible for the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to one park ranger who was part of the parks’ unionizing effort, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, said the move was largely driven by the White House’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12041320/in-crisis-mode-former-national-park-leaders-say-cuts-will-hit-public-lands-hard\">mass layoff of parks workers\u003c/a> in February — many of whom were reinstated as the legality of the firings is being \u003ca href=\"https://federalnewsnetwork.com/federal-report/2025/08/courts-ready-to-hear-arguments-on-fired-probationary-feds-cases/\">debated in court. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These firings kind of tipped over the scale,” the ranger said. “We need to have some protections, and I wish that we had had them before February, but better late than never.” (KQED has reached out to NPS for comment on the unionization.)\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Someone on our side’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Under President Donald Trump’s second administration, National Park Service staff have found themselves increasingly under fire. In addition to the February layoffs and his \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/06/08/nx-s1-5424547/trumps-efforts-to-cut-national-parks-budget-faces-bipartisan-pushback\">proposal to slash the National Park Service’s budget\u003c/a>, Trump issued an executive order in March directing parks staff — and visitors — to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049405/muir-woods-national-monument-exhibit-removal-trump-executive-order-national-parks-history-under-construction-sticky-notes\">flag any content on display within national parks that “inappropriately disparage[s] Americans past or living”\u003c/a> for removal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npca.org/articles/9551-staffing-crisis-at-national-parks-reaches-breaking-point-new-data-shows-24\">Permanent staffing at national parks around the United States has fallen 24% \u003c/a>since Trump took office, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12029490\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12029490\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandGetty2-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandGetty2-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandGetty2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandGetty2-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People demonstrate against federal employee layoffs at Yosemite National Park on March 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Laure Andrillon/AFP via Getty)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When it comes to contract negotiations, National President of the NFFE Randy Erwin said the union also hopes to address longstanding issues facing national parks workers like low pay and what he called “deplorable” housing conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re tired of their agencies and the work that they do being threatened,” he said, “and they understand that through a union, they can protect themselves and solve a lot of the problems that they’re dealing with right now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The park ranger who spoke to KQED echoed Erwin’s concerns about housing and other workplace safety issues, noting that while this year has brought \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12053628/richmond-rally-national-parks-trump-white-house-rosie-the-riveter-world-war-ii-homefront\">unprecedented challenges to their workforce\u003c/a>, workers have long been calling for better working conditions.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Park staff’s requests have included hazard pay for working outside amid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1926793/protecting-your-health-from-toxic-wildfire-smoke\">dangerous levels of wildfire smoke\u003c/a> and employer-provided housing that’s safe from contaminants like hantavirus — a disease \u003ca href=\"https://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/national-parks/death-yosemite-story-behind-last-summers-hantavirus-outbreak/?scope=anon\">that has long posed a health problem at Yosemite\u003c/a>. That’s on top of their concerns that rising rent costs at the employer-provided housing are outpacing their pay increases, the ranger said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our employer is not just responsible for our salary and workplace, but also they’re our landlord,” the ranger said. “So they control our rent, they control our housing quality … and so it just makes sense that there should be a contract that goes the other direction as well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Erwin said the union may face obstacles in negotiating with the federal government, as NFFE has been “\u003ca href=\"https://nffe.org/press-release/nffe-urges-house-members-to-sign-discharge-petition-to-force-vote-on-restoring-collective-bargaining-rights-for-federal-workers/\">getting all kinds of pushback from this administration in collective bargaining\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in the near term, the ranger told KQED that park workers will have access to something new: legal representation should they get fired or be subject to any illegal practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The union can hold [the administration] to some level of accountability, to do their diligence,” he said. “That would go a long ways in all of this — to feel like there’s someone on our side.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> lawmakers put top state officials tasked with protecting worker health and safety under intense fire on Wednesday for falling short of their mission, as highlighted by a recent state audit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hearing in Sacramento exposed deficiencies that are hampering Cal/OSHA’s ability to prevent job-related deaths and injuries. The agency failed to conduct some on-site inspections and levy appropriate fines, even when doing so would have better protected workers, \u003ca href=\"https://www.auditor.ca.gov/reports/2024-115/\">the report \u003c/a>published July 17 said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California State Auditor identified severe \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049005/california-osha-inspectors-dont-visit-worksites-even-when-workers-are-injured\">staffing shortages\u003c/a> and outdated policies and practices as “root causes,” including handling investigations primarily on paper, which makes it difficult to track more than 12,000 complaints Cal/OSHA receives annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Employers who put workers in danger are not being held accountable,” Assemblymember Liz Ortega, D-San Leandro, told Cal/OSHA officials at the hearing, including agency Chief Debra Lee. “What I really hope my colleagues and the public understand is the severity of Cal/OSHA’s failure to protect workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has some of the nation’s strongest workplace safety laws, but advocates have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11875988/minimal-to-non-existent-safety-inspector-shortage-worsened-in-pandemic-leaving-california-workers-vulnerable\">long complained\u003c/a> that weak enforcement leaves \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11932758/health-and-safety-are-at-risk-only-1-california-safety-inspector-is-bilingual-in-chinese-or-vietnamese\">employees at risk\u003c/a>, especially in construction, manufacturing and agriculture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054060\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1997px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054060\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DSC3491_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1997\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DSC3491_qed.jpg 1997w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DSC3491_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DSC3491_qed-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1997px) 100vw, 1997px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Assemblymember Liz Ortega, D-San Leandro, speaks at a rally in front of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland on Sept. 6, 2019. \u003ccite>(Stephanie Lister/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA, also known as the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, is generally supposed to send inspectors to a workplace soon after receiving a report of a fatality, serious injury or danger. On-site inspections can result in fines for the employer if violations are found. Less serious hazards are often addressed through letters asking employers to self-investigate and correct issues, without monetary penalties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The auditor found Cal/OSHA closed complaints and accident reports without verifying employers had fixed safety hazards and declined to conduct on-site inspections even when state law likely required them. Some cases involved serious injuries, including a chainsaw laceration resulting in surgery and weeks of recovery, and a skull fracture rendering a worker unconscious for several minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also reduced penalties without documenting a rationale. In one case, a forklift accident that caused a worker’s death resulted in a $21,000 fine, though penalties could have been twice as high, according to the audit, which reviewed 60 complaints and accident files handled by Cal/OSHA between 2019 and 2024.[aside postID=news_12049005 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/070125-Farmworker-Harvest-LV-CM-54-copy.jpg']Staffing was another major issue. The agency had 32% of its positions unfilled last year, but vacancies were more severe in enforcement, where critical industrial hygienist positions were 81% unfilled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California State Auditor Grant Parks told lawmakers that the agency needs enough staff, clear policies and systems to monitor employee performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problems that Cal-OSHA is facing is really a sort of a three-legged stool,” Parks said. “And currently, we don’t have any of those three legs fully fleshed out, in our opinion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, D-Los Angeles, chair of the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee, said lawmakers must ensure Cal/OSHA implements needed changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s incredible that an agency that has been around for decades doesn’t have any legs to its stool,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee, a 30-year employee at Cal/OSHA before she was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to head the agency in 2024, seemed at times nervous and tepid in her responses. At one point, she referred to a manual before responding to a question by Ortega about when the agency refers cases for criminal prosecution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ortega repeatedly cited three workers who died after being crushed by machinery at a metal manufacturing and recycling plant in her district, without sufficient consequences for the employer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054063\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054063\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250801-BERKELEY-OSHA-DEATH-MD-04_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250801-BERKELEY-OSHA-DEATH-MD-04_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250801-BERKELEY-OSHA-DEATH-MD-04_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250801-BERKELEY-OSHA-DEATH-MD-04_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Construction at Sylvia Mendez Elementary School in Berkeley on Aug. 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“When do you decide that it’s time to hold an employer accountable? Is it after the first death? Is it the second death? Is it after the third death?” Ortega asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee quoted related labor codes but acknowledged that the agency does not yet have a clear policy for referring cases to district attorneys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I acknowledge the audit’s findings and their recommendations, which makes it clear and certain that improvements are needed at Cal/OSHA,” Lee said. “My priority is to improve the lives of California workers and empower employers to provide a safe workplace. In fact, under my leadership, Cal/OSHA was already working to fix issues identified by the state auditor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Records show the agency issued progressively stiffer \u003ca href=\"https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/establishment.search?p_logger=1&establishment=Alco+Iron&State=CA&officetype=all&Office=all&sitezip=&p_case=all&p_violations_exist=all&startmonth=08&startday=26&startyear=2015&endmonth=08&endday=26&endyear=2025\">penalties\u003c/a> against San Leandro-based Alco Iron & Metal Co., the workplace Ortega referred to: $7,000 for a 2017 worker fatality, $18,185 for a second death in 2022, and $95,500 for a third earlier this year. It is unclear whether the company has paid the fines. Cal/OSHA did not immediately respond to requests for more information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email, Michael Bercovic, chief operating officer at Alco Iron & Metal, declined to comment on the two most recent fatalities, which remain under investigation and in legal proceedings. He said that the 2017 accident was caused by a manufacturer’s design flaw in the equipment that crushed the worker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The employee’s family filed a lawsuit against the equipment manufacturer, and they reached a settlement prior to trial,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA has prioritized hiring, reducing its overall vacancy rate to 12% this year after eliminating 66 positions due to budget cuts, according to Lee. Vacancies remain higher in enforcement, with 30% of field staff positions unfilled, a spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency is modernizing operations with a new electronic data management system that spokesperson Daniel Lopez called the “biggest technology project” in Cal/OSHA’s history. Officials said it will help collect and standardize information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state auditor’s office plans to follow up on Cal/OSHA’s progress next month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> lawmakers put top state officials tasked with protecting worker health and safety under intense fire on Wednesday for falling short of their mission, as highlighted by a recent state audit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hearing in Sacramento exposed deficiencies that are hampering Cal/OSHA’s ability to prevent job-related deaths and injuries. The agency failed to conduct some on-site inspections and levy appropriate fines, even when doing so would have better protected workers, \u003ca href=\"https://www.auditor.ca.gov/reports/2024-115/\">the report \u003c/a>published July 17 said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California State Auditor identified severe \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049005/california-osha-inspectors-dont-visit-worksites-even-when-workers-are-injured\">staffing shortages\u003c/a> and outdated policies and practices as “root causes,” including handling investigations primarily on paper, which makes it difficult to track more than 12,000 complaints Cal/OSHA receives annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Employers who put workers in danger are not being held accountable,” Assemblymember Liz Ortega, D-San Leandro, told Cal/OSHA officials at the hearing, including agency Chief Debra Lee. “What I really hope my colleagues and the public understand is the severity of Cal/OSHA’s failure to protect workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has some of the nation’s strongest workplace safety laws, but advocates have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11875988/minimal-to-non-existent-safety-inspector-shortage-worsened-in-pandemic-leaving-california-workers-vulnerable\">long complained\u003c/a> that weak enforcement leaves \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11932758/health-and-safety-are-at-risk-only-1-california-safety-inspector-is-bilingual-in-chinese-or-vietnamese\">employees at risk\u003c/a>, especially in construction, manufacturing and agriculture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054060\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1997px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054060\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DSC3491_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1997\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DSC3491_qed.jpg 1997w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DSC3491_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DSC3491_qed-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1997px) 100vw, 1997px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Assemblymember Liz Ortega, D-San Leandro, speaks at a rally in front of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland on Sept. 6, 2019. \u003ccite>(Stephanie Lister/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA, also known as the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, is generally supposed to send inspectors to a workplace soon after receiving a report of a fatality, serious injury or danger. On-site inspections can result in fines for the employer if violations are found. Less serious hazards are often addressed through letters asking employers to self-investigate and correct issues, without monetary penalties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The auditor found Cal/OSHA closed complaints and accident reports without verifying employers had fixed safety hazards and declined to conduct on-site inspections even when state law likely required them. Some cases involved serious injuries, including a chainsaw laceration resulting in surgery and weeks of recovery, and a skull fracture rendering a worker unconscious for several minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also reduced penalties without documenting a rationale. In one case, a forklift accident that caused a worker’s death resulted in a $21,000 fine, though penalties could have been twice as high, according to the audit, which reviewed 60 complaints and accident files handled by Cal/OSHA between 2019 and 2024.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Staffing was another major issue. The agency had 32% of its positions unfilled last year, but vacancies were more severe in enforcement, where critical industrial hygienist positions were 81% unfilled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California State Auditor Grant Parks told lawmakers that the agency needs enough staff, clear policies and systems to monitor employee performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problems that Cal-OSHA is facing is really a sort of a three-legged stool,” Parks said. “And currently, we don’t have any of those three legs fully fleshed out, in our opinion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, D-Los Angeles, chair of the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee, said lawmakers must ensure Cal/OSHA implements needed changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s incredible that an agency that has been around for decades doesn’t have any legs to its stool,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee, a 30-year employee at Cal/OSHA before she was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to head the agency in 2024, seemed at times nervous and tepid in her responses. At one point, she referred to a manual before responding to a question by Ortega about when the agency refers cases for criminal prosecution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ortega repeatedly cited three workers who died after being crushed by machinery at a metal manufacturing and recycling plant in her district, without sufficient consequences for the employer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054063\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054063\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250801-BERKELEY-OSHA-DEATH-MD-04_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250801-BERKELEY-OSHA-DEATH-MD-04_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250801-BERKELEY-OSHA-DEATH-MD-04_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250801-BERKELEY-OSHA-DEATH-MD-04_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Construction at Sylvia Mendez Elementary School in Berkeley on Aug. 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“When do you decide that it’s time to hold an employer accountable? Is it after the first death? Is it the second death? Is it after the third death?” Ortega asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee quoted related labor codes but acknowledged that the agency does not yet have a clear policy for referring cases to district attorneys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I acknowledge the audit’s findings and their recommendations, which makes it clear and certain that improvements are needed at Cal/OSHA,” Lee said. “My priority is to improve the lives of California workers and empower employers to provide a safe workplace. In fact, under my leadership, Cal/OSHA was already working to fix issues identified by the state auditor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Records show the agency issued progressively stiffer \u003ca href=\"https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/establishment.search?p_logger=1&establishment=Alco+Iron&State=CA&officetype=all&Office=all&sitezip=&p_case=all&p_violations_exist=all&startmonth=08&startday=26&startyear=2015&endmonth=08&endday=26&endyear=2025\">penalties\u003c/a> against San Leandro-based Alco Iron & Metal Co., the workplace Ortega referred to: $7,000 for a 2017 worker fatality, $18,185 for a second death in 2022, and $95,500 for a third earlier this year. It is unclear whether the company has paid the fines. Cal/OSHA did not immediately respond to requests for more information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email, Michael Bercovic, chief operating officer at Alco Iron & Metal, declined to comment on the two most recent fatalities, which remain under investigation and in legal proceedings. He said that the 2017 accident was caused by a manufacturer’s design flaw in the equipment that crushed the worker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The employee’s family filed a lawsuit against the equipment manufacturer, and they reached a settlement prior to trial,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA has prioritized hiring, reducing its overall vacancy rate to 12% this year after eliminating 66 positions due to budget cuts, according to Lee. Vacancies remain higher in enforcement, with 30% of field staff positions unfilled, a spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency is modernizing operations with a new electronic data management system that spokesperson Daniel Lopez called the “biggest technology project” in Cal/OSHA’s history. Officials said it will help collect and standardize information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state auditor’s office plans to follow up on Cal/OSHA’s progress next month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated at 6:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052399/a-new-school-year-begins-in-san-francisco-with-new-possibilities-and-problems\">first day of school last week\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sfusd\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a> announced that it had fully staffed schools — albeit some with substitute teachers — and was prepared for a year of smooth sailing, focused on the “basics.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that was far from the scene at Mission Education Center, a campus serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade for newly arrived Spanish-speaking immigrants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was just kind of a cacophony of catastrophe that first morning, because as the conversations unfolded throughout the morning, we realized to what extent the school was just severely understaffed,” said Jeremiah Mayfield, whose daughter started transitional kindergarten last week. The school recently expanded to add Spanish-immersion transitional kindergarten classrooms for the district’s youngest students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayfield and a coalition of 13 other parents wrote in a letter to the district on Wednesday that when they and their 4-year-olds arrived on campus that morning, there was no smiling principal waiting to greet them. That role remains vacant, along with three classroom teaching positions and multiple paraeducator jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are writing to raise urgent concerns about the unsafe and unacceptable conditions at Mission Education Center,” the letter reads. “We love SFUSD. We believe in public education. We trusted the system — and the system failed us and our children.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD said in a message to families Monday afternoon that it had offered the principal and pre-kindergarten teacher roles to candidates, and extended offers for instructional aide positions to three other people. It said it was still looking for two TK teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Please know that we see and understand these challenges, and we are truly grateful for your patience and partnership during this time,” the message, which the district shared with KQED, reads. “We are fully committed to providing the very best care and quality education to each of the 76 students enrolled at MEC.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053561\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053561\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mission Education Center, a bilingual elementary school in the San Francisco Unified School District, in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood, on Aug. 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After the children lined up and were led to their classrooms, the site’s interim principal — who himself has been teaching one of the classes, according to Mayfield — corralled worried parents in the cafeteria.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have teachers. We don’t have staff. We are scrambling to try to get resources here the rest of the week,” Mayfield recalled the interim leader saying. “It’s going to be pretty chaotic and pretty much adjusting targets every day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayfield said before the school year started, his daughter’s class had been assigned a teacher, a longtime bilingual educator in SFUSD who taught older classes prior to this year. He met her during a back-to-school event the previous week, but on the first day, she wasn’t there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The parents showed up and we’re being told, ‘[This teacher’s] class line up here,’” Mayfield said. “We’re lined up, and this woman is in the front of the line, and I said, ‘Well, that’s not [our teacher]. I met her on Friday. Who is this?’[aside postID=news_12052579 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/teacher-with-a-little-girl-with-glasses.jpg']“That’s when we found out, oh, this is a substitute,” he continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayfield said the school later told him and other parents that the teacher who was assigned to the classroom didn’t have the necessary early education training, and that they were working all week to “get her credentialed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, his daughter has had three substitutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She’s progressively gotten worse and worse about wanting to go in after they line up in the morning — crying, hugging me, saying to me, ‘I don’t know who those people are,’” Mayfield said. “It’s hard to see your kid … you want them to have a great educational experience. You want her to love school. You want her to feel safe at school. And literally she’s showing up every day, and she doesn’t know who’s going to be her teacher.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mission Education Center has operated for years as a small pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade campus meant to serve as a transitional school for newly arrived immigrant students, helping them get up to speed with the district’s grade-level learning standards and move into general education classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppssf.org/news/the-sfusd-transitional-kindergarten-program-is-opening-six-new-sites-in-2022-2023\">it would introduce\u003c/a> Spanish immersion TK at MEC for the 2022–23 school year, and last year, the site had \u003ca href=\"https://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/dqcensus/enrgrdlevels.aspx?cds=38684786089585&agglevel=School&year=2024-25&ro=y\">47 TK students\u003c/a>, according to state data. Mayfield explained the site as almost containing two separate schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12051869\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12051869\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The early education expansion appears to be where most of MEC’s staffing issues are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of Friday, two of the three TK classes and the pre-kindergarten didn’t have permanent teachers, according to parents. All but one paraeducator position across those classrooms — since state staffing rules say each group of 20 TKers should have two supervising adults — were still vacant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Mayfield said he and other parents were assured that a principal had been hired in June and was being onboarded over the summer, the interim principal said last week that the position hadn’t been filled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The letter from concerned parents to the district said that on the first day, one paraeducator floated between three rooms. By Wednesday, the district had sent in central office employees as support, Mayfield said.[aside postID=news_12052609 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/240520-TKParentsDilemma-32-BL_qed.jpg']The letter also said that on the first day, parents anxiously lingering around the school until midmorning saw one child go to the bathroom alone, while others were left in the halls. They say they had to step in to lead early morning circle time for a group of TK kids. Substitute staff sent to teach the Spanish immersion classes, which include some children who only speak Spanish fluently, don’t have the necessary language skills, according to multiple parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These conditions are unsafe, inequitable, and a violation of the state’s expectations for early education,” the parents wrote in their letter. “On-site staff have been transparent and honest about these challenges to us and are doing their best — and for this, we are grateful, we applaud them — but this clearly needs immediate support from the district.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lucia Gonzalezz Ippolito’s daughter, who started TK last week, had been in a Spanish Immersion preschool for the last two years. She said that the program was great, and her daughter could have continued there for one more year before enrolling in kindergarten, but she felt pressure to put her in TK at SFUSD so she would have a better chance of getting one of the district’s competitive Spanish immersion spots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I want her in a Spanish immersion program, I have to stay in MEC,” Gonzalez Ippolito said. “If you go to a regular TK or if you stay in preschool, then you’ll probably be like number 50 on the wait list.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since she took the helm as superintendent last year, Maria Su has said that one of her goals is to expand the district’s TK offerings, first \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052609/as-transitional-kindergarten-opens-to-all-4-year-olds-sf-parents-compete-for-seats\">adding 16 classrooms this year\u003c/a>, and looking at potential locations for more early education programs in the future to meet enrollment demands. This fall, an influx of applications to the grade level, which California now guarantees access to for all students, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031802/san-francisco-public-schools-see-surge-applications-thanks-transitional-kindergarten-demand\">boosted the district’s struggling enrollment\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, “if you’re going to focus and make this an early education hub and have multiple classes of TKs there, you need to give it the attention that it deserves,” Mayfield said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the parents’ letter, a follow-up message on Friday morning, and more individual emails asking district leaders for information throughout the week, Mayfield said parents finally got a response from SFUSD’s assistant superintendent of early education late Friday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are working closely with HR to address the staffing needs at MEC, and by end of day Monday, we will be able to share additional updates regarding staffing plans and next steps,” Christie Herrera wrote in the message shared with KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While parents wait to see what those updates will be, Mayfield said it feels like too little, too late.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If this is the way that the district acts and carries itself and works with parents, then I understand why parents don’t trust the district,” he told KQED. “I understand why the district has the reputation that they do for being very mismanaged and chaotic and disorganized and probably wasteful. It just feels like the district is there to try to protect the district, and nobody’s thinking about the kids.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated at 6:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052399/a-new-school-year-begins-in-san-francisco-with-new-possibilities-and-problems\">first day of school last week\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sfusd\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a> announced that it had fully staffed schools — albeit some with substitute teachers — and was prepared for a year of smooth sailing, focused on the “basics.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that was far from the scene at Mission Education Center, a campus serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade for newly arrived Spanish-speaking immigrants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was just kind of a cacophony of catastrophe that first morning, because as the conversations unfolded throughout the morning, we realized to what extent the school was just severely understaffed,” said Jeremiah Mayfield, whose daughter started transitional kindergarten last week. The school recently expanded to add Spanish-immersion transitional kindergarten classrooms for the district’s youngest students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayfield and a coalition of 13 other parents wrote in a letter to the district on Wednesday that when they and their 4-year-olds arrived on campus that morning, there was no smiling principal waiting to greet them. That role remains vacant, along with three classroom teaching positions and multiple paraeducator jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are writing to raise urgent concerns about the unsafe and unacceptable conditions at Mission Education Center,” the letter reads. “We love SFUSD. We believe in public education. We trusted the system — and the system failed us and our children.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD said in a message to families Monday afternoon that it had offered the principal and pre-kindergarten teacher roles to candidates, and extended offers for instructional aide positions to three other people. It said it was still looking for two TK teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Please know that we see and understand these challenges, and we are truly grateful for your patience and partnership during this time,” the message, which the district shared with KQED, reads. “We are fully committed to providing the very best care and quality education to each of the 76 students enrolled at MEC.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053561\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053561\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mission Education Center, a bilingual elementary school in the San Francisco Unified School District, in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood, on Aug. 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After the children lined up and were led to their classrooms, the site’s interim principal — who himself has been teaching one of the classes, according to Mayfield — corralled worried parents in the cafeteria.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have teachers. We don’t have staff. We are scrambling to try to get resources here the rest of the week,” Mayfield recalled the interim leader saying. “It’s going to be pretty chaotic and pretty much adjusting targets every day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayfield said before the school year started, his daughter’s class had been assigned a teacher, a longtime bilingual educator in SFUSD who taught older classes prior to this year. He met her during a back-to-school event the previous week, but on the first day, she wasn’t there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The parents showed up and we’re being told, ‘[This teacher’s] class line up here,’” Mayfield said. “We’re lined up, and this woman is in the front of the line, and I said, ‘Well, that’s not [our teacher]. I met her on Friday. Who is this?’\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“That’s when we found out, oh, this is a substitute,” he continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayfield said the school later told him and other parents that the teacher who was assigned to the classroom didn’t have the necessary early education training, and that they were working all week to “get her credentialed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, his daughter has had three substitutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She’s progressively gotten worse and worse about wanting to go in after they line up in the morning — crying, hugging me, saying to me, ‘I don’t know who those people are,’” Mayfield said. “It’s hard to see your kid … you want them to have a great educational experience. You want her to love school. You want her to feel safe at school. And literally she’s showing up every day, and she doesn’t know who’s going to be her teacher.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mission Education Center has operated for years as a small pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade campus meant to serve as a transitional school for newly arrived immigrant students, helping them get up to speed with the district’s grade-level learning standards and move into general education classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppssf.org/news/the-sfusd-transitional-kindergarten-program-is-opening-six-new-sites-in-2022-2023\">it would introduce\u003c/a> Spanish immersion TK at MEC for the 2022–23 school year, and last year, the site had \u003ca href=\"https://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/dqcensus/enrgrdlevels.aspx?cds=38684786089585&agglevel=School&year=2024-25&ro=y\">47 TK students\u003c/a>, according to state data. Mayfield explained the site as almost containing two separate schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12051869\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12051869\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The early education expansion appears to be where most of MEC’s staffing issues are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of Friday, two of the three TK classes and the pre-kindergarten didn’t have permanent teachers, according to parents. All but one paraeducator position across those classrooms — since state staffing rules say each group of 20 TKers should have two supervising adults — were still vacant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Mayfield said he and other parents were assured that a principal had been hired in June and was being onboarded over the summer, the interim principal said last week that the position hadn’t been filled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The letter from concerned parents to the district said that on the first day, one paraeducator floated between three rooms. By Wednesday, the district had sent in central office employees as support, Mayfield said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The letter also said that on the first day, parents anxiously lingering around the school until midmorning saw one child go to the bathroom alone, while others were left in the halls. They say they had to step in to lead early morning circle time for a group of TK kids. Substitute staff sent to teach the Spanish immersion classes, which include some children who only speak Spanish fluently, don’t have the necessary language skills, according to multiple parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These conditions are unsafe, inequitable, and a violation of the state’s expectations for early education,” the parents wrote in their letter. “On-site staff have been transparent and honest about these challenges to us and are doing their best — and for this, we are grateful, we applaud them — but this clearly needs immediate support from the district.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lucia Gonzalezz Ippolito’s daughter, who started TK last week, had been in a Spanish Immersion preschool for the last two years. She said that the program was great, and her daughter could have continued there for one more year before enrolling in kindergarten, but she felt pressure to put her in TK at SFUSD so she would have a better chance of getting one of the district’s competitive Spanish immersion spots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I want her in a Spanish immersion program, I have to stay in MEC,” Gonzalez Ippolito said. “If you go to a regular TK or if you stay in preschool, then you’ll probably be like number 50 on the wait list.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since she took the helm as superintendent last year, Maria Su has said that one of her goals is to expand the district’s TK offerings, first \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052609/as-transitional-kindergarten-opens-to-all-4-year-olds-sf-parents-compete-for-seats\">adding 16 classrooms this year\u003c/a>, and looking at potential locations for more early education programs in the future to meet enrollment demands. This fall, an influx of applications to the grade level, which California now guarantees access to for all students, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031802/san-francisco-public-schools-see-surge-applications-thanks-transitional-kindergarten-demand\">boosted the district’s struggling enrollment\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, “if you’re going to focus and make this an early education hub and have multiple classes of TKs there, you need to give it the attention that it deserves,” Mayfield said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the parents’ letter, a follow-up message on Friday morning, and more individual emails asking district leaders for information throughout the week, Mayfield said parents finally got a response from SFUSD’s assistant superintendent of early education late Friday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are working closely with HR to address the staffing needs at MEC, and by end of day Monday, we will be able to share additional updates regarding staffing plans and next steps,” Christie Herrera wrote in the message shared with KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While parents wait to see what those updates will be, Mayfield said it feels like too little, too late.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If this is the way that the district acts and carries itself and works with parents, then I understand why parents don’t trust the district,” he told KQED. “I understand why the district has the reputation that they do for being very mismanaged and chaotic and disorganized and probably wasteful. It just feels like the district is there to try to protect the district, and nobody’s thinking about the kids.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"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. ",
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"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. ",
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"marketplace": {
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"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",
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"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>",
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"order": 12
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"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?",
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"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",
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"planet-money": {
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"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",
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"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",
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},
"pri-the-world": {
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"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",
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},
"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.",
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},
"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.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
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"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
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},
"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.",
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"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
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},
"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.",
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},
"snap-judgment": {
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