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"slug": "phone-text-scams-california-irs-bank-cdph-emergency-call-how-to-spot-fake-job-offer",
"title": "Have You Been Hit With One of These Bay Area Phone Scams? How to Spot the Red Flags",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>If you’ve had the nagging feeling that scam calls and messages have gotten worse over the last few years, you’re actually correct.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Americans reported losing a total of $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-data-show-people-reported-losing-3-point-5-billion-imposter-scams-2025\">June data\u003c/a> announced by the Federal Trade Commission this summer — nearly three times the amount reported in 2020. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Imposter scams and other types of fraud through social media, email and other platforms have become a ubiquitous issue impacting people across the country. According to \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/poll-scams-law-enforcement-social-media-389f8d824b89fa434c297729f2aaf56d\">a poll and investigation\u003c/a> by the \u003cem>Associated Press\u003c/em> and the University of Chicago, almost every American has been \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/scams-online-scams-ai-internet-safety-phishing-fraud-34517de3546d604e20c9d78d3dc5af4f\">“targeted by scammers in some way.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It can happen to anyone,” said Alma Galvan, the San Francisco Bay Area communications director for the Better Business Bureau, a nonprofit that supports consumers and businesses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It doesn’t matter your education level,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what you look like. Scammers will target anyone.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098963\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Phone and text scams are getting more sophisticated. Americans reported losing a total of $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, according to June data announced by the Federal Trade Commission this summer. (Matthias Balk/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And while scams take all forms — \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/sf-better-business-bureau-warns-customers-of-cat-22413539.php\">pretending to be local San Francisco businesses\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/34935-bbb-scam-alert-dont-be-fooled-by-free-gas-and-grocery-card-postcards\">fake gas gift cards\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095536/after-the-18000-scam-how-can-bay-area-renters-protect-themselves\">rent schemes\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-romance-scams\">catfishing\u003c/a> and even impersonating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913708/scammers-pretended-to-be-forums-mina-kim-heres-why\">KQED \u003cem>Forum \u003c/em>host Mina Kim\u003c/a> — the ones that fall directly into your lap are usually through phone calls and text messages. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is compounded by the fact that your phone’s caller ID capabilities may not always flag a spam call — and scammers can find a way to make it appear as if they are calling from \u003ca href=\"https://www.calwater.com/help/protecting-yourself-against-utility-scams/\">a verified organization or agency\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In fact, the problem has become \u003cem>so\u003c/em> widespread that California now has its own \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069507/sick-of-scam-calls-and-texts-you-can-now-request-to-remove-your-details-from-data-brokers\">“Delete Request and Opt-out Platform” (DROP) form\u003c/a>, which allows residents to scrub their info from data brokers — a major way scammers obtain your contact information — in order to lessen the amount of scam calls and texts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While a scam may feel obvious in hindsight, it can be hard to think calmly in the heat of the moment, especially since scammers often fake emergencies or apply pressure to spur people to act in panic. And the ability of scammers to persuade and convince their targets has only gotten worse with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913708/scammers-pretended-to-be-forums-mina-kim-heres-why\">the rise of generative AI.\u003c/a> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One silver lining: Scams often follow the same kinds of patterns and playbooks — and knowing about them could help you and your family learn to detect a scam even faster.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Read on to learn about common forms of phone- and text-based scams in the Bay Area and California, as well as the red flags to look out for if you do receive a potentially enticing message. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Task scams\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The most common scams in the Bay Area have been “task scams,” Galvan said: when someone receives an offer — often through text — to do seemingly simple, repetitive actions online, such as \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/all/scamstudies/jobscams/employment-scams-2026-update\">liking YouTube videos\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There are so many different versions of this scam, and it doesn’t target one individual,” she said, explaining that the age range of people impacted by the scam varies from early 20s to late 60s. “It attracts consumers that are looking for a job.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The kind of job being offered promises “flexible hours, the ability to work from home, super high earnings — and you only have to work an hour and a half a day, and you make $500, with the option of making extra money if you decide to work over the weekend,” Galvan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sometimes these scammers will even provide some initial payment to build some trust. But these so-called opportunities can lead to major consequences. One person reported to the BBB lost $17,000 after buying equipment to work from home, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The scammers “instructed him to purchase gift cards to pay for the equipment,” saying it was for “security measures and protocol that the company had,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A major red flag, Galvan said, is recognizing when the salary may be too high for the task. People should also never pay to apply for a job. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Don’t let anyone deposit money into your personal bank account if you haven’t had a job interview or received an offer letter, she said. You should also never make any suggested purchases with gift cards or cryptocurrency, especially since the latter is “not regulated by the government,” Galvan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: A job offer with aspects — high salary, flexibility, simplicity — that seem too good to be true, a demand to purchase equipment or pay to apply\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Employment scams\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In another employment-based scam, targets will receive a fake job offer — purporting to be from a legitimate business in the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A person may get a text message, a DM through social media or a platform like WhatsApp and Telegram offering a position related to their field, “but then the salary is just above average for the job itself,” Galvan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said that people should go to the company’s website and verify if the position is indeed real — and even try calling the company to also verify the job listing and the identity of the person conducting the interview.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/Dc9KDXSDP26/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&stkn=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Keep in mind: Anyone can create a website, but a way to look into who is \u003cem>running \u003c/em>a website is by visiting \u003ca href=\"https://www.whois.com/\">Whois.com\u003c/a>. If the website is public, you’ll be able to see who created it, when it was created and when the domain expired. For example, if the website was created just a few days ago and is offering several jobs, it may not be a legitimate business, Galvan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While you should insist on a formal interview by phone or video, generative AI has unfortunately been a major tool in these scams, allowing fraudsters to produce voices and videos to mimic recruiters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It might feel incredibly discouraging to make sure everyone you are talking to is real — something KQED’s internet \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/reel/Dc9KDXSDP26/\">podcast Close All Tabs\u003c/a> even touches on in an episode about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086839/how-to-prove-youre-not-ai\">how difficult it is to prove \u003cem>you \u003c/em>are not AI\u003c/a>. But that’s why doing the research beforehand is vital, Galvan said, “to make sure that you’re actually talking to a real person.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: High salaries, well-known companies, a job website that was only recently created, a suspicious video interview\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bank scams\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-data-show-people-reported-losing-3-point-5-billion-imposter-scams-2025\">the FTC\u003c/a>, the most costly type of impersonation scams come from a fake security alert, often from someone purporting to represent your real bank.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People are convinced to move money to “protect” it, with their losses often limited only by their available funds,” per \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-data-show-people-reported-losing-3-point-5-billion-imposter-scams-2025\">the FTC\u003c/a>. Callers may also ask for a person’s card number, a PIN or the last four digits of their Social Security number.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1187\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM.jpg\" alt=\"A woman walks past a Wells Fargo ATM in Pasadena on September 28, 2016. California Treasurer John Chiang said the state will suspend several banking relationships with Wells Fargo to sanction the firm following allegations of 'fleecing its customers.'\" class=\"wp-image-11108212\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-400x247.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-800x495.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-1180x730.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-960x594.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A woman walks past a Wells Fargo ATM in Pasadena. (Frederic J Brown/AFP-Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Galvan said here it’s good to have a connection with your local bank and make sure you know if you’ve even opted in to receive text messages from them — because otherwise, getting out-of-the-blue texts from your bank should raise your suspicions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After hanging up, she said people should be sure to call the number on the back of your bank card, as opposed to the first result on a Google search, since a scammer could potentially buy an ad and place a fraudulent phone number. Don’t call any numbers you’re given in a message purporting to be from your bank either, as these may be scam numbers too. Only through this official phone number to your bank can you confirm if the message you got was valid.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s up to us to do that little extra step,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: Unexpected texts from your bank, requests for personal information, including your PIN\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">IRS scams\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What is more stressful than a call from the bank? A call from the Internal Revenue Service, which handles taxes in the United States. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The IRS has a page dedicated to \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-scams/recognize-tax-scams-and-fraud\">the common reasons\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/dirty-dozen-tax-scams-for-2026-irs-reminds-taxpayers-to-watch-out-for-dangerous-threats\">impersonators use\u003c/a> when contacting unsuspecting targets, including W-2 form fraud and unclaimed tax refunds. Some people have also received fake calls about apparent back taxes owed, with the scammer claiming to be from the IRS or \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/tax-season-phone-scams-and-taxpayer-id-theft\">“Tax Resolution Oversight Department.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12035739\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Washington, D.C. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But you should know: The IRS primarily contacts people through letters the first time — which \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-irs-notice-or-letter\">you can verify online or by calling the IRS’s hotline at 800-829-1040\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Keep in mind — like your bank, the IRS only \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/how-to-know-its-the-irs\">texts\u003c/a> you when you opt in to receive those texts. According to the agency, there \u003cem>are \u003c/em>some cases where they use automated phone messages, but these calls will “direct you to IRS.gov to securely manage your account, make payments or resolve an issue,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/how-to-know-its-the-irs\">the IRS website read\u003c/a>. “The messages don’t share specific details.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/tax-season-phone-scams-and-taxpayer-id-theft\">the FCC\u003c/a>, people should never give personal details over the phone like PINs, passwords and credit card information. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you receive a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS, ask for a reference number. Then the person should hang up and call the IRS again, but only using one of \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/let-us-help-you\">the official IRS phone numbers\u003c/a> listed on its government website, to see if the call was real. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: Unexpected texts from the IRS, attempts to panic you with talk of “back taxes” owed or similar, a live caller wanting financial information including your PIN\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Emergency call scams\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This particularly alarming type of scam has continued to \u003ca href=\"https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/grandparent/\">grab headlines\u003c/a> for the past few years: Someone impersonating a loved one in text messages or even a phone call, desperately asking a parent or a grandparent to wire them money due to some emergency.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A common example is the young person — usually college-aged — saying they’re traveling for vacation (for example, for spring break) and getting arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border, Galvan said. And \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/artificial-intelligence-scam-tips.page\">AI has only made it easier\u003c/a> for scammers to impersonate someone’s voice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It sounds like the person,” she said. “It sounds legitimate.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098969\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“It doesn’t matter your education level. It doesn’t matter what you look like. Scammers will target anyone,” said Alma Galvan, the San Francisco Bay Area communications director for the Better Business Bureau. (Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Galvan suggested families have a code word that the scammer wouldn’t be able to guess. If the person over the phone is able to provide the code word, then the person knows it’s potentially real.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A key part of this scam’s playbook: creating a sense of emergency with the need to send money immediately. The Federal Communications Commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/grandparent-scams-get-more-sophisticated\">recommended that the person\u003c/a> receiving the call should, after hanging up, try calling the intended person using the number saved in their contacts to see if they truly were the one on the call.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: A dramatic, panic-inducing story of some emergency, an urgent request for money (for example, to post bail), the person using an unrecognized number \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mail delivery scams\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A common way this plays out: You receive a text alert from an unknown number prompting you to click a link — because “your” package from a company like USPS, Amazon or FedEx has been misplaced or needs a pick-up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’ve all transitioned into buying things online,” Galvan said. Because of this, she said it’s key to remember “what you’re ordering, where it’s coming from and who’s going to deliver it for you.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When receiving these texts, she said to be wary of \u003ca href=\"https://www.du.edu/it/services/security/5-url-warning-signs\">suspicious links in the text\u003c/a> — for example, links that were generated by URL-shortening websites like \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly\">bit.ly\u003c/a>, which can be used to mask the true online destination. These links may be seeking personal information input from you — or even be malicious software.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/MailTruckGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098971\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/MailTruckGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/MailTruckGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/MailTruckGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A United States Postal Service (USPS) delivery van is parked on a street in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Aug. 21, 2026. (Charles-McClintock Wilson/NurPhoto via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Keep in mind that if you don’t have \u003ca href=\"https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/recognizing-and-avoiding-spyware\">spyware\u003c/a> [protection], it just takes one click for you to get a virus on your computer. Same thing with your phone,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Phones tend to have protection come with them, she said, but it’s important to make sure that your software — like an iPhone’s iOS — is up-to-date. For more tips, KQED has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070405/how-to-protect-your-information-online-in-2026\">a thorough guide on digital hygiene and security\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Admittedly, when it comes to packages and deliveries, it can be hard to know what is a scam text and what is a simple text alert that you signed up for. But California has \u003ca href=\"https://www.business.com/articles/text-message-laws/\">laws\u003c/a> that require people to opt in to receive various forms of text messages. So if you don’t remember signing up for text alerts, that could be a potential red flag. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: “Delivery updates” you weren’t expecting, being urged to click a link\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other common phone and text scams in the Bay Area\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, these scams are just the tip of the iceberg of the type of texts and calls a person can receive. Luckily, there are major tools online to help you look up past scams and see if they match a call, text or business you’re suspicious about. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The BBB has a thorough \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/lookupscam\">Scam Tracker\u003c/a> database with a list of scams reported by consumers, complete with descriptions of who they were reached by, who they thought they were talking to and even how much they lost. The American Association of Retired Persons also has \u003ca href=\"https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/tracking-map/\">a scam map.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other scams may involve people impersonating:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The California Department of Public Health\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state’s health agency warns that scammers are calling to ask for financial and sensitive information, pretending to represent CDPH. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/contact_us.aspx\">According to the agency\u003c/a>, legitimate calls focus on public health matters like disease contact tracing. They “will never involve requests for sensitive financial or non-health-related information, such as someone’s Social Security number or credit card details,” CDPH said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1438\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/ap_19032839240667-c3ea9c8607ab8c46c7dcbc486a7c0f917e3d5a08-e1549984154270.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11725572\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A man walks past a PG&E sign. (Jeff Chiu/AP)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Utility agencies\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>West Sacramento sent out a warning early this year about \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/CityofWestSacramento/posts/a-postcard-claiming-to-be-a-public-utility-notice-from-a-private-entity-called-c/1326817099482868/\">a postcard falsely requiring residents to enroll in a “program\u003c/a>” that would allow them to receive funds for utility upgrades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other utility scams may call to ask people to pay their bills by using \u003ca href=\"https://www.santaclaraca.gov/Home/Components/News/News/45479/\">a prepaid credit card, gift card, or third-party payment app\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re unsure about your utility account, be sure to call your county’s services division or PG&E directly. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A radio or TV opportunity\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Creatives are being increasingly targeted by scammers posing as the hosts of radio or TV shows, offering them the chance to talk about their work on-air — as soon as they make some kind of donation or payment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Authors have even received messages pretending to be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913708/scammers-pretended-to-be-forums-mina-kim-heres-why\">KQED Forum host Mina Kim\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>, \u003c/strong>inviting them on our call-in show to talk about their book (for $200). \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED will never charge people to be on \u003cem>Forum,\u003c/em> and producers are the ones who directly connect with authors and publishers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So you got scammed. Now what?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Report it ASAP\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You may feel overwhelmed or even embarrassed after realizing that you fell into a scam, Galvan said — and that’s natural. However, she said that \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/reportscam\">reporting it to places like the BBB\u003c/a> offers the chance to help people around you avoid the same scam by making the information public.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We want to make it as universal as possible and as easy-to-use tool for the public, so that we can alert the consumers about what’s happening in our area and then hopefully get them to be looked into by law enforcement or by government,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069528\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Many agencies also provide the next steps to take after facing a scam, whether it includes personal identity theft, a loss of funds or compromised accounts. (Rain Star/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, the BBB is a nonprofit, and they don’t have the “power to shut down anyone,” Galvan said. Nonetheless, the group works closely with local government agencies, which \u003cem>can \u003c/em>then investigate the company and the scam.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And since \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052217/immigration-lawyers-bay-area-common-scams-notario-fraud\">immigration-based scams\u003c/a> have also become common, she said that the BBB is not a government agency and does not verify the residency status of anyone reporting this kind of scam. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>People can also report potential scams to other sites and organizations including:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/articles/115002234203-Unwanted-Calls-Texts-Phone\">The FCC: Unwanted Calls/Texts\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Local authorities like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090715/outside-lands-ticket-pass-friday-saturday-sunday-lineup-resale-scams-2026\">the police\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company\">California Attorney General’s office\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>The organization that is being impersonated (for example, the IRS has \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/report-fraud/report-fake-irs-treasury-or-tax-related-emails-and-messages\">a guide on how to contact the agency\u003c/a> if you run into an IRS-based scam — national agencies can be \u003ca href=\"https://www.usa.gov/agency-index\">found on the federal government’s website\u003c/a>, or find a state-based agency on \u003ca href=\"https://cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/fraud/subprograms-and-info\">the California Department of Social Services website\u003c/a>)\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pge.com/en/account/customer-service/scams.html\">PG&E Scams\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/\">FTC’s Report Fraud website\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ic3.gov/\">Internet Crime Complaint Center\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Seek support\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Many agencies also provide the next steps to take after facing a scam, whether it includes personal identity theft, a loss of funds or compromised accounts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some resources include:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-scams/if-you-were-scammed\">IRS: If You Were Scammed\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/consumers\">California Attorney General’s page on consumer protection\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/idtheft/facts/how-to-registry\">California Identity Theft Registry\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed\">FTC Consumer Advice\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://scamsurvivaltoolkit.bbbmarketplacetrust.org/\">BBB Scam Survival Toolkit\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/all/scam-prevention\">BBB Scam Prevention Guide\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Americans reported losing a total of $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-data-show-people-reported-losing-3-point-5-billion-imposter-scams-2025\">June data\u003c/a> announced by the Federal Trade Commission this summer — nearly three times the amount reported in 2020. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Americans reported losing a total of $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-data-show-people-reported-losing-3-point-5-billion-imposter-scams-2025\">June data\u003c/a> announced by the Federal Trade Commission this summer — nearly three times the amount reported in 2020. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Imposter scams and other types of fraud through social media, email and other platforms have become a ubiquitous issue impacting people across the country. According to \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/poll-scams-law-enforcement-social-media-389f8d824b89fa434c297729f2aaf56d\">a poll and investigation\u003c/a> by the \u003cem>Associated Press\u003c/em> and the University of Chicago, almost every American has been \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/scams-online-scams-ai-internet-safety-phishing-fraud-34517de3546d604e20c9d78d3dc5af4f\">“targeted by scammers in some way.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Imposter scams and other types of fraud through social media, email and other platforms have become a ubiquitous issue impacting people across the country. According to \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/poll-scams-law-enforcement-social-media-389f8d824b89fa434c297729f2aaf56d\">a poll and investigation\u003c/a> by the \u003cem>Associated Press\u003c/em> and the University of Chicago, almost every American has been \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/scams-online-scams-ai-internet-safety-phishing-fraud-34517de3546d604e20c9d78d3dc5af4f\">“targeted by scammers in some way.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It can happen to anyone,” said Alma Galvan, the San Francisco Bay Area communications director for the Better Business Bureau, a nonprofit that supports consumers and businesses. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It can happen to anyone,” said Alma Galvan, the San Francisco Bay Area communications director for the Better Business Bureau, a nonprofit that supports consumers and businesses. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It doesn’t matter your education level,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what you look like. Scammers will target anyone.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It doesn’t matter your education level,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what you look like. Scammers will target anyone.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098963\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Phone and text scams are getting more sophisticated. Americans reported losing a total of $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, according to June data announced by the Federal Trade Commission this summer.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Matthias Balk/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098963\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Phone and text scams are getting more sophisticated. Americans reported losing a total of $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, according to June data announced by the Federal Trade Commission this summer.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Matthias Balk/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And while scams take all forms — \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/sf-better-business-bureau-warns-customers-of-cat-22413539.php\">pretending to be local San Francisco businesses\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/34935-bbb-scam-alert-dont-be-fooled-by-free-gas-and-grocery-card-postcards\">fake gas gift cards\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095536/after-the-18000-scam-how-can-bay-area-renters-protect-themselves\">rent schemes\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-romance-scams\">catfishing\u003c/a> and even impersonating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913708/scammers-pretended-to-be-forums-mina-kim-heres-why\">KQED \u003cem>Forum \u003c/em>host Mina Kim\u003c/a> — the ones that fall directly into your lap are usually through phone calls and text messages. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And while scams take all forms — \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/sf-better-business-bureau-warns-customers-of-cat-22413539.php\">pretending to be local San Francisco businesses\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/34935-bbb-scam-alert-dont-be-fooled-by-free-gas-and-grocery-card-postcards\">fake gas gift cards\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095536/after-the-18000-scam-how-can-bay-area-renters-protect-themselves\">rent schemes\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-romance-scams\">catfishing\u003c/a> and even impersonating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913708/scammers-pretended-to-be-forums-mina-kim-heres-why\">KQED \u003cem>Forum \u003c/em>host Mina Kim\u003c/a> — the ones that fall directly into your lap are usually through phone calls and text messages. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In fact, the problem has become \u003cem>so\u003c/em> widespread that California now has its own \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069507/sick-of-scam-calls-and-texts-you-can-now-request-to-remove-your-details-from-data-brokers\">“Delete Request and Opt-out Platform” (DROP) form\u003c/a>, which allows residents to scrub their info from data brokers — a major way scammers obtain your contact information — in order to lessen the amount of scam calls and texts.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While a scam may feel obvious in hindsight, it can be hard to think calmly in the heat of the moment, especially since scammers often fake emergencies or apply pressure to spur people to act in panic. And the ability of scammers to persuade and convince their targets has only gotten worse with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913708/scammers-pretended-to-be-forums-mina-kim-heres-why\">the rise of generative AI.\u003c/a> \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One silver lining: Scams often follow the same kinds of patterns and playbooks — and knowing about them could help you and your family learn to detect a scam even faster.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Read on to learn about common forms of phone- and text-based scams in the Bay Area and California, as well as the red flags to look out for if you do receive a potentially enticing message. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Read on to learn about common forms of phone- and text-based scams in the Bay Area and California, as well as the red flags to look out for if you do receive a potentially enticing message. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The most common scams in the Bay Area have been “task scams,” Galvan said: when someone receives an offer — often through text — to do seemingly simple, repetitive actions online, such as \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/all/scamstudies/jobscams/employment-scams-2026-update\">liking YouTube videos\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The most common scams in the Bay Area have been “task scams,” Galvan said: when someone receives an offer — often through text — to do seemingly simple, repetitive actions online, such as \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/all/scamstudies/jobscams/employment-scams-2026-update\">liking YouTube videos\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There are so many different versions of this scam, and it doesn’t target one individual,” she said, explaining that the age range of people impacted by the scam varies from early 20s to late 60s. “It attracts consumers that are looking for a job.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There are so many different versions of this scam, and it doesn’t target one individual,” she said, explaining that the age range of people impacted by the scam varies from early 20s to late 60s. “It attracts consumers that are looking for a job.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The kind of job being offered promises “flexible hours, the ability to work from home, super high earnings — and you only have to work an hour and a half a day, and you make $500, with the option of making extra money if you decide to work over the weekend,” Galvan said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sometimes these scammers will even provide some initial payment to build some trust. But these so-called opportunities can lead to major consequences. One person reported to the BBB lost $17,000 after buying equipment to work from home, she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Sometimes these scammers will even provide some initial payment to build some trust. But these so-called opportunities can lead to major consequences. One person reported to the BBB lost $17,000 after buying equipment to work from home, she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A major red flag, Galvan said, is recognizing when the salary may be too high for the task. People should also never pay to apply for a job. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Don’t let anyone deposit money into your personal bank account if you haven’t had a job interview or received an offer letter, she said. You should also never make any suggested purchases with gift cards or cryptocurrency, especially since the latter is “not regulated by the government,” Galvan said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In another employment-based scam, targets will receive a fake job offer — purporting to be from a legitimate business in the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A person may get a text message, a DM through social media or a platform like WhatsApp and Telegram offering a position related to their field, “but then the salary is just above average for the job itself,” Galvan said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Keep in mind: Anyone can create a website, but a way to look into who is \u003cem>running \u003c/em>a website is by visiting \u003ca href=\"https://www.whois.com/\">Whois.com\u003c/a>. If the website is public, you’ll be able to see who created it, when it was created and when the domain expired. For example, if the website was created just a few days ago and is offering several jobs, it may not be a legitimate business, Galvan said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It might feel incredibly discouraging to make sure everyone you are talking to is real — something KQED’s internet \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/reel/Dc9KDXSDP26/\">podcast Close All Tabs\u003c/a> even touches on in an episode about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086839/how-to-prove-youre-not-ai\">how difficult it is to prove \u003cem>you \u003c/em>are not AI\u003c/a>. But that’s why doing the research beforehand is vital, Galvan said, “to make sure that you’re actually talking to a real person.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"text": "The red flags: High salaries, well-known companies, a job website that was only recently created, a suspicious video interview"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: High salaries, well-known companies, a job website that was only recently created, a suspicious video interview\u003c/h3>\n",
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"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: High salaries, well-known companies, a job website that was only recently created, a suspicious video interview\u003c/h3>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Bank scams",
"level": 2
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bank scams\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bank scams\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-data-show-people-reported-losing-3-point-5-billion-imposter-scams-2025\">the FTC\u003c/a>, the most costly type of impersonation scams come from a fake security alert, often from someone purporting to represent your real bank.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-data-show-people-reported-losing-3-point-5-billion-imposter-scams-2025\">the FTC\u003c/a>, the most costly type of impersonation scams come from a fake security alert, often from someone purporting to represent your real bank.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“People are convinced to move money to “protect” it, with their losses often limited only by their available funds,” per \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-data-show-people-reported-losing-3-point-5-billion-imposter-scams-2025\">the FTC\u003c/a>. Callers may also ask for a person’s card number, a PIN or the last four digits of their Social Security number.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“People are convinced to move money to “protect” it, with their losses often limited only by their available funds,” per \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-data-show-people-reported-losing-3-point-5-billion-imposter-scams-2025\">the FTC\u003c/a>. Callers may also ask for a person’s card number, a PIN or the last four digits of their Social Security number.\u003c/p>\n"
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"alt": "A woman walks past a Wells Fargo ATM in Pasadena on September 28, 2016. California Treasurer John Chiang said the state will suspend several banking relationships with Wells Fargo to sanction the firm following allegations of 'fleecing its customers.'",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-400x247.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-800x495.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-1180x730.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-960x594.jpg 960w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM.jpg\" alt=\"A woman walks past a Wells Fargo ATM in Pasadena on September 28, 2016. California Treasurer John Chiang said the state will suspend several banking relationships with Wells Fargo to sanction the firm following allegations of 'fleecing its customers.'\" class=\"wp-image-11108212\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-400x247.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-800x495.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-1180x730.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-960x594.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A woman walks past a Wells Fargo ATM in Pasadena.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Frederic J Brown/AFP-Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM.jpg\" alt=\"A woman walks past a Wells Fargo ATM in Pasadena on September 28, 2016. California Treasurer John Chiang said the state will suspend several banking relationships with Wells Fargo to sanction the firm following allegations of 'fleecing its customers.'\" class=\"wp-image-11108212\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A woman walks past a Wells Fargo ATM in Pasadena.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Frederic J Brown/AFP-Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Galvan said here it’s good to have a connection with your local bank and make sure you know if you’ve even opted in to receive text messages from them — because otherwise, getting out-of-the-blue texts from your bank should raise your suspicions. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Galvan said here it’s good to have a connection with your local bank and make sure you know if you’ve even opted in to receive text messages from them — because otherwise, getting out-of-the-blue texts from your bank should raise your suspicions. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After hanging up, she said people should be sure to call the number on the back of your bank card, as opposed to the first result on a Google search, since a scammer could potentially buy an ad and place a fraudulent phone number. Don’t call any numbers you’re given in a message purporting to be from your bank either, as these may be scam numbers too. Only through this official phone number to your bank can you confirm if the message you got was valid.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After hanging up, she said people should be sure to call the number on the back of your bank card, as opposed to the first result on a Google search, since a scammer could potentially buy an ad and place a fraudulent phone number. Don’t call any numbers you’re given in a message purporting to be from your bank either, as these may be scam numbers too. Only through this official phone number to your bank can you confirm if the message you got was valid.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s up to us to do that little extra step,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“It’s up to us to do that little extra step,” she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
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"text": "The red flags: Unexpected texts from your bank, requests for personal information, including your PIN"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: Unexpected texts from your bank, requests for personal information, including your PIN\u003c/h3>\n",
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"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: Unexpected texts from your bank, requests for personal information, including your PIN\u003c/h3>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "IRS scams",
"level": 2
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">IRS scams\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">IRS scams\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>What is more stressful than a call from the bank? A call from the Internal Revenue Service, which handles taxes in the United States. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>What is more stressful than a call from the bank? A call from the Internal Revenue Service, which handles taxes in the United States. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The IRS has a page dedicated to \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-scams/recognize-tax-scams-and-fraud\">the common reasons\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/dirty-dozen-tax-scams-for-2026-irs-reminds-taxpayers-to-watch-out-for-dangerous-threats\">impersonators use\u003c/a> when contacting unsuspecting targets, including W-2 form fraud and unclaimed tax refunds. Some people have also received fake calls about apparent back taxes owed, with the scammer claiming to be from the IRS or \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/tax-season-phone-scams-and-taxpayer-id-theft\">“Tax Resolution Oversight Department.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The IRS has a page dedicated to \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-scams/recognize-tax-scams-and-fraud\">the common reasons\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/dirty-dozen-tax-scams-for-2026-irs-reminds-taxpayers-to-watch-out-for-dangerous-threats\">impersonators use\u003c/a> when contacting unsuspecting targets, including W-2 form fraud and unclaimed tax refunds. Some people have also received fake calls about apparent back taxes owed, with the scammer claiming to be from the IRS or \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/tax-season-phone-scams-and-taxpayer-id-theft\">“Tax Resolution Oversight Department.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12035739\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Washington, D.C. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Zach Gibson/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12035739\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Washington, D.C. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Zach Gibson/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But you should know: The IRS primarily contacts people through letters the first time — which \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-irs-notice-or-letter\">you can verify online or by calling the IRS’s hotline at 800-829-1040\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But you should know: The IRS primarily contacts people through letters the first time — which \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-irs-notice-or-letter\">you can verify online or by calling the IRS’s hotline at 800-829-1040\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Keep in mind — like your bank, the IRS only \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/how-to-know-its-the-irs\">texts\u003c/a> you when you opt in to receive those texts. According to the agency, there \u003cem>are \u003c/em>some cases where they use automated phone messages, but these calls will “direct you to IRS.gov to securely manage your account, make payments or resolve an issue,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/how-to-know-its-the-irs\">the IRS website read\u003c/a>. “The messages don’t share specific details.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Keep in mind — like your bank, the IRS only \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/how-to-know-its-the-irs\">texts\u003c/a> you when you opt in to receive those texts. According to the agency, there \u003cem>are \u003c/em>some cases where they use automated phone messages, but these calls will “direct you to IRS.gov to securely manage your account, make payments or resolve an issue,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/how-to-know-its-the-irs\">the IRS website read\u003c/a>. “The messages don’t share specific details.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/tax-season-phone-scams-and-taxpayer-id-theft\">the FCC\u003c/a>, people should never give personal details over the phone like PINs, passwords and credit card information. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/tax-season-phone-scams-and-taxpayer-id-theft\">the FCC\u003c/a>, people should never give personal details over the phone like PINs, passwords and credit card information. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you receive a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS, ask for a reference number. Then the person should hang up and call the IRS again, but only using one of \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/let-us-help-you\">the official IRS phone numbers\u003c/a> listed on its government website, to see if the call was real. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If you receive a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS, ask for a reference number. Then the person should hang up and call the IRS again, but only using one of \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/let-us-help-you\">the official IRS phone numbers\u003c/a> listed on its government website, to see if the call was real. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "The red flags: Unexpected texts from the IRS, attempts to panic you with talk of “back taxes” owed or similar, a live caller wanting financial information including your PIN"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: Unexpected texts from the IRS, attempts to panic you with talk of “back taxes” owed or similar, a live caller wanting financial information including your PIN\u003c/h3>\n",
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"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: Unexpected texts from the IRS, attempts to panic you with talk of “back taxes” owed or similar, a live caller wanting financial information including your PIN\u003c/h3>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Emergency call scams",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Emergency call scams\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Emergency call scams\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This particularly alarming type of scam has continued to \u003ca href=\"https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/grandparent/\">grab headlines\u003c/a> for the past few years: Someone impersonating a loved one in text messages or even a phone call, desperately asking a parent or a grandparent to wire them money due to some emergency.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>This particularly alarming type of scam has continued to \u003ca href=\"https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/grandparent/\">grab headlines\u003c/a> for the past few years: Someone impersonating a loved one in text messages or even a phone call, desperately asking a parent or a grandparent to wire them money due to some emergency.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A common example is the young person — usually college-aged — saying they’re traveling for vacation (for example, for spring break) and getting arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border, Galvan said. And \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/artificial-intelligence-scam-tips.page\">AI has only made it easier\u003c/a> for scammers to impersonate someone’s voice.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A common example is the young person — usually college-aged — saying they’re traveling for vacation (for example, for spring break) and getting arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border, Galvan said. And \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/artificial-intelligence-scam-tips.page\">AI has only made it easier\u003c/a> for scammers to impersonate someone’s voice.\u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It sounds like the person,” she said. “It sounds legitimate.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It sounds like the person,” she said. “It sounds legitimate.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098969\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“It doesn’t matter your education level. It doesn’t matter what you look like. Scammers will target anyone,” said Alma Galvan, the San Francisco Bay Area communications director for the Better Business Bureau.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098969\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“It doesn’t matter your education level. It doesn’t matter what you look like. Scammers will target anyone,” said Alma Galvan, the San Francisco Bay Area communications director for the Better Business Bureau.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Galvan suggested families have a code word that the scammer wouldn’t be able to guess. If the person over the phone is able to provide the code word, then the person knows it’s potentially real.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Galvan suggested families have a code word that the scammer wouldn’t be able to guess. If the person over the phone is able to provide the code word, then the person knows it’s potentially real.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A key part of this scam’s playbook: creating a sense of emergency with the need to send money immediately. The Federal Communications Commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/grandparent-scams-get-more-sophisticated\">recommended that the person\u003c/a> receiving the call should, after hanging up, try calling the intended person using the number saved in their contacts to see if they truly were the one on the call.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A key part of this scam’s playbook: creating a sense of emergency with the need to send money immediately. The Federal Communications Commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/grandparent-scams-get-more-sophisticated\">recommended that the person\u003c/a> receiving the call should, after hanging up, try calling the intended person using the number saved in their contacts to see if they truly were the one on the call.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "The red flags: A dramatic, panic-inducing story of some emergency, an urgent request for money (for example, to post bail), the person using an unrecognized number "
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: A dramatic, panic-inducing story of some emergency, an urgent request for money (for example, to post bail), the person using an unrecognized number \u003c/h3>\n",
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"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: A dramatic, panic-inducing story of some emergency, an urgent request for money (for example, to post bail), the person using an unrecognized number \u003c/h3>\n"
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"attrs": {
"text": "Mail delivery scams",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mail delivery scams\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mail delivery scams\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A common way this plays out: You receive a text alert from an unknown number prompting you to click a link — because “your” package from a company like USPS, Amazon or FedEx has been misplaced or needs a pick-up. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A common way this plays out: You receive a text alert from an unknown number prompting you to click a link — because “your” package from a company like USPS, Amazon or FedEx has been misplaced or needs a pick-up. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’ve all transitioned into buying things online,” Galvan said. Because of this, she said it’s key to remember “what you’re ordering, where it’s coming from and who’s going to deliver it for you.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“We’ve all transitioned into buying things online,” Galvan said. Because of this, she said it’s key to remember “what you’re ordering, where it’s coming from and who’s going to deliver it for you.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When receiving these texts, she said to be wary of \u003ca href=\"https://www.du.edu/it/services/security/5-url-warning-signs\">suspicious links in the text\u003c/a> — for example, links that were generated by URL-shortening websites like \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly\">bit.ly\u003c/a>, which can be used to mask the true online destination. These links may be seeking personal information input from you — or even be malicious software.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>When receiving these texts, she said to be wary of \u003ca href=\"https://www.du.edu/it/services/security/5-url-warning-signs\">suspicious links in the text\u003c/a> — for example, links that were generated by URL-shortening websites like \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly\">bit.ly\u003c/a>, which can be used to mask the true online destination. These links may be seeking personal information input from you — or even be malicious software.\u003c/p>\n"
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"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/MailTruckGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098971\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/MailTruckGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/MailTruckGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/MailTruckGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A United States Postal Service (USPS) delivery van is parked on a street in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Aug. 21, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Charles-McClintock Wilson/NurPhoto via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/MailTruckGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098971\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A United States Postal Service (USPS) delivery van is parked on a street in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Aug. 21, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Charles-McClintock Wilson/NurPhoto via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Keep in mind that if you don’t have \u003ca href=\"https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/recognizing-and-avoiding-spyware\">spyware\u003c/a> [protection], it just takes one click for you to get a virus on your computer. Same thing with your phone,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Keep in mind that if you don’t have \u003ca href=\"https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/recognizing-and-avoiding-spyware\">spyware\u003c/a> [protection], it just takes one click for you to get a virus on your computer. Same thing with your phone,” she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Phones tend to have protection come with them, she said, but it’s important to make sure that your software — like an iPhone’s iOS — is up-to-date. For more tips, KQED has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070405/how-to-protect-your-information-online-in-2026\">a thorough guide on digital hygiene and security\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Phones tend to have protection come with them, she said, but it’s important to make sure that your software — like an iPhone’s iOS — is up-to-date. For more tips, KQED has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070405/how-to-protect-your-information-online-in-2026\">a thorough guide on digital hygiene and security\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Admittedly, when it comes to packages and deliveries, it can be hard to know what is a scam text and what is a simple text alert that you signed up for. But California has \u003ca href=\"https://www.business.com/articles/text-message-laws/\">laws\u003c/a> that require people to opt in to receive various forms of text messages. So if you don’t remember signing up for text alerts, that could be a potential red flag. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Admittedly, when it comes to packages and deliveries, it can be hard to know what is a scam text and what is a simple text alert that you signed up for. But California has \u003ca href=\"https://www.business.com/articles/text-message-laws/\">laws\u003c/a> that require people to opt in to receive various forms of text messages. So if you don’t remember signing up for text alerts, that could be a potential red flag. \u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "The red flags: “Delivery updates” you weren’t expecting, being urged to click a link"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: “Delivery updates” you weren’t expecting, being urged to click a link\u003c/h3>\n",
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"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: “Delivery updates” you weren’t expecting, being urged to click a link\u003c/h3>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Other common phone and text scams in the Bay Area",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other common phone and text scams in the Bay Area\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other common phone and text scams in the Bay Area\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, these scams are just the tip of the iceberg of the type of texts and calls a person can receive. Luckily, there are major tools online to help you look up past scams and see if they match a call, text or business you’re suspicious about. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, these scams are just the tip of the iceberg of the type of texts and calls a person can receive. Luckily, there are major tools online to help you look up past scams and see if they match a call, text or business you’re suspicious about. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The BBB has a thorough \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/lookupscam\">Scam Tracker\u003c/a> database with a list of scams reported by consumers, complete with descriptions of who they were reached by, who they thought they were talking to and even how much they lost. The American Association of Retired Persons also has \u003ca href=\"https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/tracking-map/\">a scam map.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The BBB has a thorough \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/lookupscam\">Scam Tracker\u003c/a> database with a list of scams reported by consumers, complete with descriptions of who they were reached by, who they thought they were talking to and even how much they lost. The American Association of Retired Persons also has \u003ca href=\"https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/tracking-map/\">a scam map.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Other scams may involve people impersonating:\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Other scams may involve people impersonating:\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "The California Department of Public Health"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The California Department of Public Health\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The California Department of Public Health\u003c/h3>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The state’s health agency warns that scammers are calling to ask for financial and sensitive information, pretending to represent CDPH. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The state’s health agency warns that scammers are calling to ask for financial and sensitive information, pretending to represent CDPH. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/contact_us.aspx\">According to the agency\u003c/a>, legitimate calls focus on public health matters like disease contact tracing. They “will never involve requests for sensitive financial or non-health-related information, such as someone’s Social Security number or credit card details,” CDPH said.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/contact_us.aspx\">According to the agency\u003c/a>, legitimate calls focus on public health matters like disease contact tracing. They “will never involve requests for sensitive financial or non-health-related information, such as someone’s Social Security number or credit card details,” CDPH said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/ap_19032839240667-c3ea9c8607ab8c46c7dcbc486a7c0f917e3d5a08-e1549984154270.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11725572\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A man walks past a PG&E sign.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Jeff Chiu/AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/ap_19032839240667-c3ea9c8607ab8c46c7dcbc486a7c0f917e3d5a08-e1549984154270.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11725572\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A man walks past a PG&E sign.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Jeff Chiu/AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "Utility agencies "
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Utility agencies\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Utility agencies\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>West Sacramento sent out a warning early this year about \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/CityofWestSacramento/posts/a-postcard-claiming-to-be-a-public-utility-notice-from-a-private-entity-called-c/1326817099482868/\">a postcard falsely requiring residents to enroll in a “program\u003c/a>” that would allow them to receive funds for utility upgrades. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>West Sacramento sent out a warning early this year about \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/CityofWestSacramento/posts/a-postcard-claiming-to-be-a-public-utility-notice-from-a-private-entity-called-c/1326817099482868/\">a postcard falsely requiring residents to enroll in a “program\u003c/a>” that would allow them to receive funds for utility upgrades. \u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Other utility scams may call to ask people to pay their bills by using \u003ca href=\"https://www.santaclaraca.gov/Home/Components/News/News/45479/\">a prepaid credit card, gift card, or third-party payment app\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Other utility scams may call to ask people to pay their bills by using \u003ca href=\"https://www.santaclaraca.gov/Home/Components/News/News/45479/\">a prepaid credit card, gift card, or third-party payment app\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’re unsure about your utility account, be sure to call your county’s services division or PG&E directly. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you’re unsure about your utility account, be sure to call your county’s services division or PG&E directly. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerBlocks": []
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "A radio or TV opportunity "
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A radio or TV opportunity\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A radio or TV opportunity\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Creatives are being increasingly targeted by scammers posing as the hosts of radio or TV shows, offering them the chance to talk about their work on-air — as soon as they make some kind of donation or payment. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Creatives are being increasingly targeted by scammers posing as the hosts of radio or TV shows, offering them the chance to talk about their work on-air — as soon as they make some kind of donation or payment. \u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Authors have even received messages pretending to be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913708/scammers-pretended-to-be-forums-mina-kim-heres-why\">KQED Forum host Mina Kim\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>, \u003c/strong>inviting them on our call-in show to talk about their book (for $200). \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Authors have even received messages pretending to be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913708/scammers-pretended-to-be-forums-mina-kim-heres-why\">KQED Forum host Mina Kim\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>, \u003c/strong>inviting them on our call-in show to talk about their book (for $200). \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>KQED will never charge people to be on \u003cem>Forum,\u003c/em> and producers are the ones who directly connect with authors and publishers. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>KQED will never charge people to be on \u003cem>Forum,\u003c/em> and producers are the ones who directly connect with authors and publishers. \u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "So you got scammed. Now what?",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So you got scammed. Now what?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So you got scammed. Now what?\u003c/h2>\n"
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},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "Report it ASAP"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Report it ASAP\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Report it ASAP\u003c/h3>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>You may feel overwhelmed or even embarrassed after realizing that you fell into a scam, Galvan said — and that’s natural. However, she said that \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/reportscam\">reporting it to places like the BBB\u003c/a> offers the chance to help people around you avoid the same scam by making the information public.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>You may feel overwhelmed or even embarrassed after realizing that you fell into a scam, Galvan said — and that’s natural. However, she said that \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/reportscam\">reporting it to places like the BBB\u003c/a> offers the chance to help people around you avoid the same scam by making the information public.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We want to make it as universal as possible and as easy-to-use tool for the public, so that we can alert the consumers about what’s happening in our area and then hopefully get them to be looked into by law enforcement or by government,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“We want to make it as universal as possible and as easy-to-use tool for the public, so that we can alert the consumers about what’s happening in our area and then hopefully get them to be looked into by law enforcement or by government,” she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069528\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Many agencies also provide the next steps to take after facing a scam, whether it includes personal identity theft, a loss of funds or compromised accounts. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Rain Star/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069528\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Many agencies also provide the next steps to take after facing a scam, whether it includes personal identity theft, a loss of funds or compromised accounts. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Rain Star/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>However, the BBB is a nonprofit, and they don’t have the “power to shut down anyone,” Galvan said. Nonetheless, the group works closely with local government agencies, which \u003cem>can \u003c/em>then investigate the company and the scam.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>However, the BBB is a nonprofit, and they don’t have the “power to shut down anyone,” Galvan said. Nonetheless, the group works closely with local government agencies, which \u003cem>can \u003c/em>then investigate the company and the scam.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And since \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052217/immigration-lawyers-bay-area-common-scams-notario-fraud\">immigration-based scams\u003c/a> have also become common, she said that the BBB is not a government agency and does not verify the residency status of anyone reporting this kind of scam. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>And since \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052217/immigration-lawyers-bay-area-common-scams-notario-fraud\">immigration-based scams\u003c/a> have also become common, she said that the BBB is not a government agency and does not verify the residency status of anyone reporting this kind of scam. \u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>People can also report potential scams to other sites and organizations including:\u003c/p>\n",
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"Local authorities like the police",
"The California Attorney General’s office",
"The organization that is being impersonated (for example, the IRS has a guide on how to contact the agency if you run into an IRS-based scam — national agencies can be found on the federal government’s website, or find a state-based agency on the California Department of Social Services website)",
"PG&E Scams",
"The FTC’s Report Fraud website",
"Internet Crime Complaint Center"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/articles/115002234203-Unwanted-Calls-Texts-Phone\">The FCC: Unwanted Calls/Texts\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Local authorities like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090715/outside-lands-ticket-pass-friday-saturday-sunday-lineup-resale-scams-2026\">the police\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>Local authorities like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090715/outside-lands-ticket-pass-friday-saturday-sunday-lineup-resale-scams-2026\">the police\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company\">California Attorney General’s office\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company\">California Attorney General’s office\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>The organization that is being impersonated (for example, the IRS has \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/report-fraud/report-fake-irs-treasury-or-tax-related-emails-and-messages\">a guide on how to contact the agency\u003c/a> if you run into an IRS-based scam — national agencies can be \u003ca href=\"https://www.usa.gov/agency-index\">found on the federal government’s website\u003c/a>, or find a state-based agency on \u003ca href=\"https://cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/fraud/subprograms-and-info\">the California Department of Social Services website\u003c/a>)\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>The organization that is being impersonated (for example, the IRS has \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/report-fraud/report-fake-irs-treasury-or-tax-related-emails-and-messages\">a guide on how to contact the agency\u003c/a> if you run into an IRS-based scam — national agencies can be \u003ca href=\"https://www.usa.gov/agency-index\">found on the federal government’s website\u003c/a>, or find a state-based agency on \u003ca href=\"https://cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/fraud/subprograms-and-info\">the California Department of Social Services website\u003c/a>)\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pge.com/en/account/customer-service/scams.html\">PG&E Scams\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pge.com/en/account/customer-service/scams.html\">PG&E Scams\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
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{
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/\">FTC’s Report Fraud website\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Seek support\u003c/h3>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Many agencies also provide the next steps to take after facing a scam, whether it includes personal identity theft, a loss of funds or compromised accounts. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-scams/if-you-were-scammed\">IRS: If You Were Scammed\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/consumers\">California Attorney General’s page on consumer protection\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed\">FTC Consumer Advice\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed\">FTC Consumer Advice\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
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},
{
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://scamsurvivaltoolkit.bbbmarketplacetrust.org/\">BBB Scam Survival Toolkit\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/all/scam-prevention\">BBB Scam Prevention Guide\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://scamsurvivaltoolkit.bbbmarketplacetrust.org/\">BBB Scam Survival Toolkit\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/all/scam-prevention\">BBB Scam Prevention Guide\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
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"excerpt": "Phone and text scams are getting more sophisticated. Here are some common ones in the Bay and the country, along with tips on how to keep a lookout for them. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>If you’ve had the nagging feeling that scam calls and messages have gotten worse over the last few years, you’re actually correct.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Americans reported losing a total of $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-data-show-people-reported-losing-3-point-5-billion-imposter-scams-2025\">June data\u003c/a> announced by the Federal Trade Commission this summer — nearly three times the amount reported in 2020. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Imposter scams and other types of fraud through social media, email and other platforms have become a ubiquitous issue impacting people across the country. According to \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/poll-scams-law-enforcement-social-media-389f8d824b89fa434c297729f2aaf56d\">a poll and investigation\u003c/a> by the \u003cem>Associated Press\u003c/em> and the University of Chicago, almost every American has been \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/scams-online-scams-ai-internet-safety-phishing-fraud-34517de3546d604e20c9d78d3dc5af4f\">“targeted by scammers in some way.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It can happen to anyone,” said Alma Galvan, the San Francisco Bay Area communications director for the Better Business Bureau, a nonprofit that supports consumers and businesses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It doesn’t matter your education level,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what you look like. Scammers will target anyone.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098963\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Phone and text scams are getting more sophisticated. Americans reported losing a total of $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, according to June data announced by the Federal Trade Commission this summer. (Matthias Balk/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And while scams take all forms — \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/sf-better-business-bureau-warns-customers-of-cat-22413539.php\">pretending to be local San Francisco businesses\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/34935-bbb-scam-alert-dont-be-fooled-by-free-gas-and-grocery-card-postcards\">fake gas gift cards\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095536/after-the-18000-scam-how-can-bay-area-renters-protect-themselves\">rent schemes\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-romance-scams\">catfishing\u003c/a> and even impersonating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913708/scammers-pretended-to-be-forums-mina-kim-heres-why\">KQED \u003cem>Forum \u003c/em>host Mina Kim\u003c/a> — the ones that fall directly into your lap are usually through phone calls and text messages. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is compounded by the fact that your phone’s caller ID capabilities may not always flag a spam call — and scammers can find a way to make it appear as if they are calling from \u003ca href=\"https://www.calwater.com/help/protecting-yourself-against-utility-scams/\">a verified organization or agency\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In fact, the problem has become \u003cem>so\u003c/em> widespread that California now has its own \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069507/sick-of-scam-calls-and-texts-you-can-now-request-to-remove-your-details-from-data-brokers\">“Delete Request and Opt-out Platform” (DROP) form\u003c/a>, which allows residents to scrub their info from data brokers — a major way scammers obtain your contact information — in order to lessen the amount of scam calls and texts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While a scam may feel obvious in hindsight, it can be hard to think calmly in the heat of the moment, especially since scammers often fake emergencies or apply pressure to spur people to act in panic. And the ability of scammers to persuade and convince their targets has only gotten worse with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913708/scammers-pretended-to-be-forums-mina-kim-heres-why\">the rise of generative AI.\u003c/a> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One silver lining: Scams often follow the same kinds of patterns and playbooks — and knowing about them could help you and your family learn to detect a scam even faster.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Read on to learn about common forms of phone- and text-based scams in the Bay Area and California, as well as the red flags to look out for if you do receive a potentially enticing message. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Task scams\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The most common scams in the Bay Area have been “task scams,” Galvan said: when someone receives an offer — often through text — to do seemingly simple, repetitive actions online, such as \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/all/scamstudies/jobscams/employment-scams-2026-update\">liking YouTube videos\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There are so many different versions of this scam, and it doesn’t target one individual,” she said, explaining that the age range of people impacted by the scam varies from early 20s to late 60s. “It attracts consumers that are looking for a job.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The kind of job being offered promises “flexible hours, the ability to work from home, super high earnings — and you only have to work an hour and a half a day, and you make $500, with the option of making extra money if you decide to work over the weekend,” Galvan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sometimes these scammers will even provide some initial payment to build some trust. But these so-called opportunities can lead to major consequences. One person reported to the BBB lost $17,000 after buying equipment to work from home, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The scammers “instructed him to purchase gift cards to pay for the equipment,” saying it was for “security measures and protocol that the company had,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A major red flag, Galvan said, is recognizing when the salary may be too high for the task. People should also never pay to apply for a job. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Don’t let anyone deposit money into your personal bank account if you haven’t had a job interview or received an offer letter, she said. You should also never make any suggested purchases with gift cards or cryptocurrency, especially since the latter is “not regulated by the government,” Galvan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: A job offer with aspects — high salary, flexibility, simplicity — that seem too good to be true, a demand to purchase equipment or pay to apply\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Employment scams\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In another employment-based scam, targets will receive a fake job offer — purporting to be from a legitimate business in the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A person may get a text message, a DM through social media or a platform like WhatsApp and Telegram offering a position related to their field, “but then the salary is just above average for the job itself,” Galvan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said that people should go to the company’s website and verify if the position is indeed real — and even try calling the company to also verify the job listing and the identity of the person conducting the interview.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Keep in mind: Anyone can create a website, but a way to look into who is \u003cem>running \u003c/em>a website is by visiting \u003ca href=\"https://www.whois.com/\">Whois.com\u003c/a>. If the website is public, you’ll be able to see who created it, when it was created and when the domain expired. For example, if the website was created just a few days ago and is offering several jobs, it may not be a legitimate business, Galvan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While you should insist on a formal interview by phone or video, generative AI has unfortunately been a major tool in these scams, allowing fraudsters to produce voices and videos to mimic recruiters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It might feel incredibly discouraging to make sure everyone you are talking to is real — something KQED’s internet \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/reel/Dc9KDXSDP26/\">podcast Close All Tabs\u003c/a> even touches on in an episode about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086839/how-to-prove-youre-not-ai\">how difficult it is to prove \u003cem>you \u003c/em>are not AI\u003c/a>. But that’s why doing the research beforehand is vital, Galvan said, “to make sure that you’re actually talking to a real person.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: High salaries, well-known companies, a job website that was only recently created, a suspicious video interview\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bank scams\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-data-show-people-reported-losing-3-point-5-billion-imposter-scams-2025\">the FTC\u003c/a>, the most costly type of impersonation scams come from a fake security alert, often from someone purporting to represent your real bank.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People are convinced to move money to “protect” it, with their losses often limited only by their available funds,” per \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-data-show-people-reported-losing-3-point-5-billion-imposter-scams-2025\">the FTC\u003c/a>. Callers may also ask for a person’s card number, a PIN or the last four digits of their Social Security number.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1187\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM.jpg\" alt=\"A woman walks past a Wells Fargo ATM in Pasadena on September 28, 2016. California Treasurer John Chiang said the state will suspend several banking relationships with Wells Fargo to sanction the firm following allegations of 'fleecing its customers.'\" class=\"wp-image-11108212\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-400x247.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-800x495.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-1180x730.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/WellsFargoATM-960x594.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A woman walks past a Wells Fargo ATM in Pasadena. (Frederic J Brown/AFP-Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Galvan said here it’s good to have a connection with your local bank and make sure you know if you’ve even opted in to receive text messages from them — because otherwise, getting out-of-the-blue texts from your bank should raise your suspicions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After hanging up, she said people should be sure to call the number on the back of your bank card, as opposed to the first result on a Google search, since a scammer could potentially buy an ad and place a fraudulent phone number. Don’t call any numbers you’re given in a message purporting to be from your bank either, as these may be scam numbers too. Only through this official phone number to your bank can you confirm if the message you got was valid.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s up to us to do that little extra step,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: Unexpected texts from your bank, requests for personal information, including your PIN\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">IRS scams\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What is more stressful than a call from the bank? A call from the Internal Revenue Service, which handles taxes in the United States. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The IRS has a page dedicated to \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-scams/recognize-tax-scams-and-fraud\">the common reasons\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/dirty-dozen-tax-scams-for-2026-irs-reminds-taxpayers-to-watch-out-for-dangerous-threats\">impersonators use\u003c/a> when contacting unsuspecting targets, including W-2 form fraud and unclaimed tax refunds. Some people have also received fake calls about apparent back taxes owed, with the scammer claiming to be from the IRS or \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/tax-season-phone-scams-and-taxpayer-id-theft\">“Tax Resolution Oversight Department.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12035739\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/internal-revenue-service_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Washington, D.C. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But you should know: The IRS primarily contacts people through letters the first time — which \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-irs-notice-or-letter\">you can verify online or by calling the IRS’s hotline at 800-829-1040\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Keep in mind — like your bank, the IRS only \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/how-to-know-its-the-irs\">texts\u003c/a> you when you opt in to receive those texts. According to the agency, there \u003cem>are \u003c/em>some cases where they use automated phone messages, but these calls will “direct you to IRS.gov to securely manage your account, make payments or resolve an issue,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/how-to-know-its-the-irs\">the IRS website read\u003c/a>. “The messages don’t share specific details.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/tax-season-phone-scams-and-taxpayer-id-theft\">the FCC\u003c/a>, people should never give personal details over the phone like PINs, passwords and credit card information. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you receive a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS, ask for a reference number. Then the person should hang up and call the IRS again, but only using one of \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/let-us-help-you\">the official IRS phone numbers\u003c/a> listed on its government website, to see if the call was real. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: Unexpected texts from the IRS, attempts to panic you with talk of “back taxes” owed or similar, a live caller wanting financial information including your PIN\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Emergency call scams\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This particularly alarming type of scam has continued to \u003ca href=\"https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/grandparent/\">grab headlines\u003c/a> for the past few years: Someone impersonating a loved one in text messages or even a phone call, desperately asking a parent or a grandparent to wire them money due to some emergency.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A common example is the young person — usually college-aged — saying they’re traveling for vacation (for example, for spring break) and getting arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border, Galvan said. And \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/artificial-intelligence-scam-tips.page\">AI has only made it easier\u003c/a> for scammers to impersonate someone’s voice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It sounds like the person,” she said. “It sounds legitimate.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098969\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/PhoneGetty2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“It doesn’t matter your education level. It doesn’t matter what you look like. Scammers will target anyone,” said Alma Galvan, the San Francisco Bay Area communications director for the Better Business Bureau. (Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Galvan suggested families have a code word that the scammer wouldn’t be able to guess. If the person over the phone is able to provide the code word, then the person knows it’s potentially real.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A key part of this scam’s playbook: creating a sense of emergency with the need to send money immediately. The Federal Communications Commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/grandparent-scams-get-more-sophisticated\">recommended that the person\u003c/a> receiving the call should, after hanging up, try calling the intended person using the number saved in their contacts to see if they truly were the one on the call.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: A dramatic, panic-inducing story of some emergency, an urgent request for money (for example, to post bail), the person using an unrecognized number \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mail delivery scams\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A common way this plays out: You receive a text alert from an unknown number prompting you to click a link — because “your” package from a company like USPS, Amazon or FedEx has been misplaced or needs a pick-up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’ve all transitioned into buying things online,” Galvan said. Because of this, she said it’s key to remember “what you’re ordering, where it’s coming from and who’s going to deliver it for you.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When receiving these texts, she said to be wary of \u003ca href=\"https://www.du.edu/it/services/security/5-url-warning-signs\">suspicious links in the text\u003c/a> — for example, links that were generated by URL-shortening websites like \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly\">bit.ly\u003c/a>, which can be used to mask the true online destination. These links may be seeking personal information input from you — or even be malicious software.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/MailTruckGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098971\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/MailTruckGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/MailTruckGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/MailTruckGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A United States Postal Service (USPS) delivery van is parked on a street in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Aug. 21, 2026. (Charles-McClintock Wilson/NurPhoto via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Keep in mind that if you don’t have \u003ca href=\"https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/recognizing-and-avoiding-spyware\">spyware\u003c/a> [protection], it just takes one click for you to get a virus on your computer. Same thing with your phone,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Phones tend to have protection come with them, she said, but it’s important to make sure that your software — like an iPhone’s iOS — is up-to-date. For more tips, KQED has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070405/how-to-protect-your-information-online-in-2026\">a thorough guide on digital hygiene and security\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Admittedly, when it comes to packages and deliveries, it can be hard to know what is a scam text and what is a simple text alert that you signed up for. But California has \u003ca href=\"https://www.business.com/articles/text-message-laws/\">laws\u003c/a> that require people to opt in to receive various forms of text messages. So if you don’t remember signing up for text alerts, that could be a potential red flag. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The red flags: “Delivery updates” you weren’t expecting, being urged to click a link\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other common phone and text scams in the Bay Area\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, these scams are just the tip of the iceberg of the type of texts and calls a person can receive. Luckily, there are major tools online to help you look up past scams and see if they match a call, text or business you’re suspicious about. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The BBB has a thorough \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/lookupscam\">Scam Tracker\u003c/a> database with a list of scams reported by consumers, complete with descriptions of who they were reached by, who they thought they were talking to and even how much they lost. The American Association of Retired Persons also has \u003ca href=\"https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/tracking-map/\">a scam map.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other scams may involve people impersonating:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The California Department of Public Health\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state’s health agency warns that scammers are calling to ask for financial and sensitive information, pretending to represent CDPH. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/contact_us.aspx\">According to the agency\u003c/a>, legitimate calls focus on public health matters like disease contact tracing. They “will never involve requests for sensitive financial or non-health-related information, such as someone’s Social Security number or credit card details,” CDPH said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1438\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/ap_19032839240667-c3ea9c8607ab8c46c7dcbc486a7c0f917e3d5a08-e1549984154270.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11725572\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A man walks past a PG&E sign. (Jeff Chiu/AP)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Utility agencies\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>West Sacramento sent out a warning early this year about \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/CityofWestSacramento/posts/a-postcard-claiming-to-be-a-public-utility-notice-from-a-private-entity-called-c/1326817099482868/\">a postcard falsely requiring residents to enroll in a “program\u003c/a>” that would allow them to receive funds for utility upgrades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other utility scams may call to ask people to pay their bills by using \u003ca href=\"https://www.santaclaraca.gov/Home/Components/News/News/45479/\">a prepaid credit card, gift card, or third-party payment app\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re unsure about your utility account, be sure to call your county’s services division or PG&E directly. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A radio or TV opportunity\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Creatives are being increasingly targeted by scammers posing as the hosts of radio or TV shows, offering them the chance to talk about their work on-air — as soon as they make some kind of donation or payment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Authors have even received messages pretending to be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913708/scammers-pretended-to-be-forums-mina-kim-heres-why\">KQED Forum host Mina Kim\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>, \u003c/strong>inviting them on our call-in show to talk about their book (for $200). \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED will never charge people to be on \u003cem>Forum,\u003c/em> and producers are the ones who directly connect with authors and publishers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So you got scammed. Now what?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Report it ASAP\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You may feel overwhelmed or even embarrassed after realizing that you fell into a scam, Galvan said — and that’s natural. However, she said that \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/reportscam\">reporting it to places like the BBB\u003c/a> offers the chance to help people around you avoid the same scam by making the information public.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We want to make it as universal as possible and as easy-to-use tool for the public, so that we can alert the consumers about what’s happening in our area and then hopefully get them to be looked into by law enforcement or by government,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069528\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Many agencies also provide the next steps to take after facing a scam, whether it includes personal identity theft, a loss of funds or compromised accounts. (Rain Star/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, the BBB is a nonprofit, and they don’t have the “power to shut down anyone,” Galvan said. Nonetheless, the group works closely with local government agencies, which \u003cem>can \u003c/em>then investigate the company and the scam.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And since \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052217/immigration-lawyers-bay-area-common-scams-notario-fraud\">immigration-based scams\u003c/a> have also become common, she said that the BBB is not a government agency and does not verify the residency status of anyone reporting this kind of scam. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>People can also report potential scams to other sites and organizations including:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/articles/115002234203-Unwanted-Calls-Texts-Phone\">The FCC: Unwanted Calls/Texts\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Local authorities like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090715/outside-lands-ticket-pass-friday-saturday-sunday-lineup-resale-scams-2026\">the police\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company\">California Attorney General’s office\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>The organization that is being impersonated (for example, the IRS has \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/report-fraud/report-fake-irs-treasury-or-tax-related-emails-and-messages\">a guide on how to contact the agency\u003c/a> if you run into an IRS-based scam — national agencies can be \u003ca href=\"https://www.usa.gov/agency-index\">found on the federal government’s website\u003c/a>, or find a state-based agency on \u003ca href=\"https://cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/fraud/subprograms-and-info\">the California Department of Social Services website\u003c/a>)\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pge.com/en/account/customer-service/scams.html\">PG&E Scams\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/\">FTC’s Report Fraud website\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ic3.gov/\">Internet Crime Complaint Center\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Seek support\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Many agencies also provide the next steps to take after facing a scam, whether it includes personal identity theft, a loss of funds or compromised accounts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some resources include:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-scams/if-you-were-scammed\">IRS: If You Were Scammed\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/consumers\">California Attorney General’s page on consumer protection\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/idtheft/facts/how-to-registry\">California Identity Theft Registry\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed\">FTC Consumer Advice\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://scamsurvivaltoolkit.bbbmarketplacetrust.org/\">BBB Scam Survival Toolkit\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbb.org/all/scam-prevention\">BBB Scam Prevention Guide\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "bay-area-heat-wave-breaks-records-in-these-4-cities-with-relief-ahead",
"title": "Bay Area Heat Wave Breaks Records in These 4 Cities, With Relief Ahead ",
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"headTitle": "Bay Area Heat Wave Breaks Records in These 4 Cities, With Relief Ahead | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>This week’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098784/summer-finally-kicks-off-in-san-francisco-with-hot-weather-stretch-across-the-bay-area\">heat wave\u003c/a> caused four Bay Area cities to break daily high records on Wednesday, and forecasters expect at least one more day of above-average heat this week.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Rafael reached 104 degrees, downtown Oakland soared to 97 degrees, San Francisco’s airport flew to 94 degrees, and Half Moon Bay peaked at 83 degrees, said Nicole Sarment, a Bay Area National Weather Service meteorologist.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wednesday’s temperatures were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098629/3-day-heat-wave-scorches-the-bay-area-this-week\">10 to 20 degrees\u003c/a> above normal for this time of year, though Sarment noted that September is the hottest month for most parts of the region. And according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the country experienced its \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-202608\">hottest\u003c/a> meteorological summer on record, while California set a record for its warmest August average temperature.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-25_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098993\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-25_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-25_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-25_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People congregate at Crissy Field Beach in San Francisco on Sept. 9, 2026. Temperatures reached over 90 degrees in parts of San Francisco on Wednesday. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1537\" height=\"1025\" data-id=\"12098991\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098991\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-8.jpg 1537w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-8-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1537px) 100vw, 1537px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A customer uses a water-spray fan at Bi-Rite Creamery in San Francisco’s Mission District on Sept. 9, 2026. Temperatures reached over 90 degrees in parts of San Francisco on Wednesday. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12098992\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-13_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098992\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-13_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-13_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-13_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People lay in the shade at Dolores Park in San Francisco’s Mission District on Sept. 9, 2026. Temperatures reached over 90 degrees in parts of San Francisco on Wednesday. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the rest of the week, Sarment forecasts temperatures to drop slightly on Thursday and decrease by around 10 degrees on Friday, dipping a couple of degrees each day after. Some spots, like the interior East Bay and the furthest reaches of the North Bay, could still reach into the triple digits on Thursday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It may be hard to tell, but we already kind of are cooling off,” Sarment said. “It will be in the 90s, and the city may be up to 80. It’s still going to be warm. I don’t want to undersell that, but we’re not expecting it to be as hot as it was yesterday.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sarment said Bay Area residents should also be on the lookout for wildfire starts because of the heat, dryness and potential winds as the weather pattern slowly changes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The main thing is going to be just preventing sparks,” Sarment said. “Don’t go out and do landscaping.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forecasters expect the strong high-pressure system from the east that caused this week’s soaring temperatures to stick around through Thursday. But that will change Friday, as a “pulse of energy” from the north will slowly begin to flatten the ridge and help temperatures drop, meteorologists wrote in their daily forecast discussion.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Onshore flow, winds from the Pacific Ocean toward the coast, return Thursday, “which is really going to be the saving grace for the coast,” Sarment said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And then there’s the promise of the marine layer making a return Thursday night. Although Sarment said she’s “cautiously optimistic” that the marine layer will make a full comeback tonight, it’s currently “so far away.” With the current temperatures, it will be difficult to form.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By the weekend, Sarment expects highs to drop into the mid-70s to mid-80s inland and the upper 60s to upper 70s close to the coast.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Rafael reached 104 degrees, downtown Oakland soared to 97 degrees, San Francisco’s airport flew to 94 degrees, and Half Moon Bay peaked at 83 degrees, said Nicole Sarment, a Bay Area National Weather Service meteorologist.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For the rest of the week, Sarment forecasts temperatures to drop slightly on Thursday and decrease by around 10 degrees on Friday, dipping a couple of degrees each day after. Some spots, like the interior East Bay and the furthest reaches of the North Bay, could still reach into the triple digits on Thursday. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It may be hard to tell, but we already kind of are cooling off,” Sarment said. “It will be in the 90s, and the city may be up to 80. It’s still going to be warm. I don’t want to undersell that, but we’re not expecting it to be as hot as it was yesterday.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sarment said Bay Area residents should also be on the lookout for wildfire starts because of the heat, dryness and potential winds as the weather pattern slowly changes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The main thing is going to be just preventing sparks,” Sarment said. “Don’t go out and do landscaping.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Forecasters expect the strong high-pressure system from the east that caused this week’s soaring temperatures to stick around through Thursday. But that will change Friday, as a “pulse of energy” from the north will slowly begin to flatten the ridge and help temperatures drop, meteorologists wrote in their daily forecast discussion.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Forecasters expect the strong high-pressure system from the east that caused this week’s soaring temperatures to stick around through Thursday. But that will change Friday, as a “pulse of energy” from the north will slowly begin to flatten the ridge and help temperatures drop, meteorologists wrote in their daily forecast discussion.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Onshore flow, winds from the Pacific Ocean toward the coast, return Thursday, “which is really going to be the saving grace for the coast,” Sarment said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And then there’s the promise of the marine layer making a return Thursday night. Although Sarment said she’s “cautiously optimistic” that the marine layer will make a full comeback tonight, it’s currently “so far away.” With the current temperatures, it will be difficult to form.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And then there’s the promise of the marine layer making a return Thursday night. Although Sarment said she’s “cautiously optimistic” that the marine layer will make a full comeback tonight, it’s currently “so far away.” With the current temperatures, it will be difficult to form.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>By the weekend, Sarment expects highs to drop into the mid-70s to mid-80s inland and the upper 60s to upper 70s close to the coast.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Record heat scorched the Bay Area this week, but cooler temperatures and the marine layer are on the way.",
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"title": "Bay Area Heat Wave Breaks Records in These 4 Cities, With Relief Ahead | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>This week’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098784/summer-finally-kicks-off-in-san-francisco-with-hot-weather-stretch-across-the-bay-area\">heat wave\u003c/a> caused four Bay Area cities to break daily high records on Wednesday, and forecasters expect at least one more day of above-average heat this week.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Rafael reached 104 degrees, downtown Oakland soared to 97 degrees, San Francisco’s airport flew to 94 degrees, and Half Moon Bay peaked at 83 degrees, said Nicole Sarment, a Bay Area National Weather Service meteorologist.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wednesday’s temperatures were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098629/3-day-heat-wave-scorches-the-bay-area-this-week\">10 to 20 degrees\u003c/a> above normal for this time of year, though Sarment noted that September is the hottest month for most parts of the region. And according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the country experienced its \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-202608\">hottest\u003c/a> meteorological summer on record, while California set a record for its warmest August average temperature.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-25_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098993\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-25_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-25_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-25_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People congregate at Crissy Field Beach in San Francisco on Sept. 9, 2026. Temperatures reached over 90 degrees in parts of San Francisco on Wednesday. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1537\" height=\"1025\" data-id=\"12098991\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098991\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-8.jpg 1537w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-8-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1537px) 100vw, 1537px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A customer uses a water-spray fan at Bi-Rite Creamery in San Francisco’s Mission District on Sept. 9, 2026. Temperatures reached over 90 degrees in parts of San Francisco on Wednesday. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12098992\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-13_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098992\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-13_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-13_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260909-HeatFile-NG-13_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People lay in the shade at Dolores Park in San Francisco’s Mission District on Sept. 9, 2026. Temperatures reached over 90 degrees in parts of San Francisco on Wednesday. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the rest of the week, Sarment forecasts temperatures to drop slightly on Thursday and decrease by around 10 degrees on Friday, dipping a couple of degrees each day after. Some spots, like the interior East Bay and the furthest reaches of the North Bay, could still reach into the triple digits on Thursday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It may be hard to tell, but we already kind of are cooling off,” Sarment said. “It will be in the 90s, and the city may be up to 80. It’s still going to be warm. I don’t want to undersell that, but we’re not expecting it to be as hot as it was yesterday.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sarment said Bay Area residents should also be on the lookout for wildfire starts because of the heat, dryness and potential winds as the weather pattern slowly changes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The main thing is going to be just preventing sparks,” Sarment said. “Don’t go out and do landscaping.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forecasters expect the strong high-pressure system from the east that caused this week’s soaring temperatures to stick around through Thursday. But that will change Friday, as a “pulse of energy” from the north will slowly begin to flatten the ridge and help temperatures drop, meteorologists wrote in their daily forecast discussion.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Onshore flow, winds from the Pacific Ocean toward the coast, return Thursday, “which is really going to be the saving grace for the coast,” Sarment said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And then there’s the promise of the marine layer making a return Thursday night. Although Sarment said she’s “cautiously optimistic” that the marine layer will make a full comeback tonight, it’s currently “so far away.” With the current temperatures, it will be difficult to form.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By the weekend, Sarment expects highs to drop into the mid-70s to mid-80s inland and the upper 60s to upper 70s close to the coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "where-can-i-find-new-updated-2026-27-covid-vaccine-near-me-moderna-pfizer-cvs-walgreens-safeway-vaccinations-health-insurance-cost",
"title": "A New COVID Vaccine Is Here (Without Much Fanfare). When Should You Get It?",
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"headTitle": "A New COVID Vaccine Is Here (Without Much Fanfare). When Should You Get It? | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>The new 2026-27 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/covid-19\">COVID-19\u003c/a> vaccine is here — although unlike in previous years, there’s a chance you might not even have heard about it yet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the updated shots last week. But this year, there’s been \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/09/02/nx-s1-5947884/covid-flu-rsv-vaccine-recommendations\">no formal guidance\u003c/a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about who should actually get it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the absence of any federal guidelines, the California Department of Public Health issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Immunization/IMM-1481.pdf#msdynmkt_trackingcontext=42181725-f337-476b-805b-39989c120200\">its own recommendations \u003c/a>on Friday about who should absolutely seek out the new COVID-19 shot. State health officials’ strongest recommendations are for everyone age 65 and older, those with risk factors that increase their chances of getting severe COVID-19, pregnant people, children age 6 to 23 months and healthcare workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COVIDGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12053910\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COVIDGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COVIDGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COVIDGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A new COVID-19 vaccine is now available. (Luis Alvarez/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the state also said that basically everyone else — or in their words, “all who choose to reduce risk of severe illness” — can get the 2026-27 COVID-19 shot, too, and that it’ll be covered by health insurance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Six years out from the onset of the pandemic, the language around COVID-19 vaccine recommendations has definitely changed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Keep reading for how to understand the latest guidelines, why you’re not hearing anything from the CDC this year and when you should consider getting your own vaccine to lower your chances of getting a nasty bout of COVID-19 this fall and winter.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First off, are appointments for the new 2026-27 COVID vaccines already available?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes: The new shots have already rolled out at pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens around the state. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pharmacies are the first place that COVID vaccine supplies become available each fall right after the FDA and CDC sign off, because they take their orders from the federal government rather than the state. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the coming weeks, the updated 2026-27 COVID vaccine will soon become available at doctors’ offices, clinics and health systems like Kaiser Permanente.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re a parent wanting to vaccinate your kid sooner rather than later, however, remember: The state says that pharmacies \u003cem>aren’t\u003c/em> authorized to vaccinate children age two and under. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This means that unless your child is age three or older, you won’t be able to get their COVID shot at a pharmacy, and you should talk to your child’s pediatrician about how best to get their shot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The exception to this is CVS’s MinuteClinics, which are staffed by providers who are permitted to administer a COVID vaccine to kids age 18 months and older.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will my fall COVID shot still be covered by health insurance?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes: “All vaccines recommended by the California Department of Public Health continue to be covered by health insurance regulated in California,” CDPH said in its Friday statement announcing its recommendations around the 2026-27 COVID-19 vaccines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One wrinkle to remember if you get your healthcare through a system like Kaiser Permanente: If you’re considering getting your COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy for convenience, rather than from your own provider, you usually \u003cem>can’t\u003c/em> get vaccines fully covered by your insurance. But, according to Kaiser, “you may be able to get up to \u003ca href=\"https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/northern-california/health-wellness/coronavirus-information/vaccine-appointments\">half of the cost \u003c/a>reimbursed.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re going the reimbursement route, bear in mind that \u003ca href=\"https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine\">the out-of-pocket cost of getting your COVID-19 vaccine\u003c/a> at CVS this year is now $278.99 — up 40% from $198.99 last year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cem>When \u003c/em>should I get my 2026-27 COVID shot?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Higher-risk groups\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 2026-27 COVID-19 vaccine is available to patients age 6 months and older, but California health officials are strongly recommending the updated vaccine for the following higher-risk groups:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Children:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>All children age 6-23 months\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>All children age 2-18 years with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Immunization/populations-at-risk-covid.pdf\">risk factors\u003c/a> or who’ve never been vaccinated against COVID-19\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>All children who are in close contact with others with risk factors\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Adults:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>All age 65 years and older\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Anyone who’s pregnant, planning to become pregnant or is postpartum\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Anyone age 9-64 years with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Immunization/populations-at-risk-covid.pdf\">risk factors\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>All who are in close contact with others with risk factors\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>All healthcare workers\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12033385\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A syringe is filled with a dose of the Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site inside Reuther Hall at Forty Acres on March 13, 2021, in Delano, California. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re in one of the above groups — meaning you’re either at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 yourself or at higher risk of spreading COVID-19 to others — it’s a good idea to seek out your updated vaccine soon, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UCSF.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There are some populations who I just don’t want there to be any doubt about, because they’re very important,” Chin-Hong said. “I’m on the highest alert around them, because those are the people who are still coming into the hospital [with COVID-19], either inpatient or going to the emergency room.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a nutshell: If you’re one of the people in the list above, or your kid is, seek out your new COVID-19 shot as soon as you can.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>See the full list of CDPH’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/publichealth4all/vaccines.aspx#table\">recommendations for respiratory vaccines\u003c/a> this year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">People who aren’t at higher risk\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you or your child isn’t listed in those higher-risk groups above, you fall into CDPH’s recommendation that “all who choose to reduce risk of severe illness” can still get the updated 2026-27 COVID-19 shot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But what does that mean practically? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One thing to know: The Bay Area is still in a summer COVID wave, as shown by \u003ca href=\"https://data.wastewaterscan.org/tracker/?charts=CoYBEAA4AUgAUgY1NzlkYTNSBjM3NDMwYVIGZTllODdlUgYwN2NlZDdSBjhhOWI0YlIGYzhkMzU3UgYyNTQ4MTlSBmRkMzZmYlIGZmEyZDYzUgZiNzIzYWVSBmJjNzlmOVIGODRkNDg5UgZkZGU4OGZaBk4gR2VuZXifAYoBBmQyY2RlNrgBiwg%3D&selectedChartId=d2cde6\">levels of coronavirus in the region’s wastewater\u003c/a> (aka human sewage). And “based on current patterns, we still have plenty of the current wave ahead of us,” said Dr. Matt Willis, the state’s correspondent for \u003ca href=\"https://yourlocalepidemiologistca.substack.com/\">Your Local Epidemiologist California, who was formerly Marin County’s public health officer at the height of the pandemic. “\u003c/a>It still hasn’t peaked, and then there’s a few weeks on the downslope to expect.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With that in mind, Willis told KQED by email that “if you want to be protected even if you’re not high risk, I would still go ahead and get the vaccine now.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In California, he said, “We haven’t really seen COVID-19 activity in the winter, at least judging from the past two years. So the likelihood of being infected with COVID-19 is likely higher for the next couple months than it may be for the rest of the year, until next summer.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Of course, there are people — like Kaiser patients, or people who prefer to get their COVID vaccine at their own doctor’s office — who’ll be waiting to get their shot until supplies of the new vaccine become available beyond pharmacies. And Chin-Hong said there are other reasons some people might consider waiting a little, too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a physician, “I put an exclamation point next to the people who I \u003cem>really \u003c/em>want to get it,” Chin-Hong said. But “for everyone else, it could be used strategically,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Getting the new vaccine will give you “a buffer for infection for about three months or so,” Chin-Hong said — and it’ll take around two weeks after getting your shot for your body to develop the fullest immunity. So you might consider strategically timing your updated COVID-19 shot to coincide with any travel you have coming up this fall, he said — or to have good protection for around the holidays.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A boy with a tuxedo T-shirt and a face mask holds his mother's hand as he receives a shot in the arm by a nurse.\" class=\"wp-image-11961112\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A child receives a COVID-19 vaccine on Sept. 12, 2023. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If just getting out to \u003cem>get \u003c/em>your vaccines is difficult, you could also opt to conveniently get your COVID shot and your flu shot during the same appointment in October, said Chin-Hong. As for that specific timing, it’s best to get your flu shot sometime before Halloween, he said, and you don’t want to get it \u003cem>too \u003c/em>early ahead of flu season, which might arrive a little later this year if Australia’s flu season — \u003ca href=\"https://www.today.com/health/cold-flu/flu-guide-2026-season-severity-symptoms-treatment-mrna-vaccine-rcna595714\">traditionally used as a barometer of what the U.S. can expect\u003c/a> — is any indicator.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, if you’re the kind of person whose calendar and obligations get packed in the fall and you’re concerned you’ll forget to get your shots altogether, release yourself from the burden of overstrategizing and just go get your vaccine when you can.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And remember: If you were one of the many folks in the Bay Area who got taken down by COVID-19 during \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091325/summer-covid-test-2026-wastewater-variants-isolation-contagious-xfg-san-francisco-bay-area-california\">this summer’s ongoing wave\u003c/a>, your infection has given you around three months’ natural immunity — so you should wait until that “expires” before seeking out your latest COVID-19 vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will the new 2026-27 COVID shot protect me from the latest strains out there right now?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes, Chin-Hong said — each year the COVID-19 vaccine is updated for maximum efficacy, to target the variants that are most likely to try to take you down this year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 2026-27 shot actually only targets one strain, XFG, “which is the number one strain right now circulating,” Chin-Hong said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>People infected with XFG have often reported a scratchy, hoarse throat that’s easily mistaken for allergies, along with the kind of primarily respiratory symptoms we’ve come to expect from COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where can I find the new COVID vaccine — other than a pharmacy?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Through your healthcare provider, when available\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you have health insurance, check with your healthcare provider to see whether they can offer you an updated COVID-19 vaccine, and when.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you don’t have health insurance but get medical care through a city- or county-run provider, you should check with that location to see whether they can offer you the new COVID-19 vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1405\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12028314\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-800x562.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-1020x717.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-1536x1079.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-1920x1349.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A CVS in Huntington Park on Aug. 28, 2024. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to talking with your healthcare provider directly, check the website of your provider to see whether it offers the ability to make appointments and sign up for their vaccine notifications if that’s an option.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Through My Turn, when available\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Throughout the pandemic, \u003ca href=\"https://myturn.ca.gov/\">My Turn has been the state’s site\u003c/a> for Californians to schedule vaccination appointments or find walk-in locations, regardless of health insurance status.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Through your county, when available\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Check your county’s public health website to see if the updated COVID-19 vaccine will soon be available to residents, especially those who are uninsured or underinsured.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I heard the FDA and CDC tried to restrict eligibility for COVID vaccines last year. Can I still get my shot?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes — because California’s own recommendations overrule the federal government when it comes to you accessing this vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To understand the backstory: In August 2025, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12053906/covid-vaccines-booster-2025-fda-cdc-who-can-get-updated-vaccine-novavax-pfizer-moderna-where-find\">the FDA under President Donald Trump’s second administration announced\u003c/a> that the agency would be limiting eligibility for the updated shots for the first time — and that the 2025-26 vaccines would be available only to people age 65 and over and to anyone with a health condition that puts them at higher risk from COVID-19. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At first, the shots rolled out across California pharmacies only for these groups. But shortly after, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state would join Oregon and Washington in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12054491/in-rebuke-of-rfk-jr-the-west-coast-unites-on-vaccine-policy\">launching a new “West Coast Health Alliance,”\u003c/a> a coalition that now issues its own state-specific vaccine recommendations — effectively overriding the FDA and CDC’s attempts to limit eligibility for your COVID-19 vaccine in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1337\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom (left), looks on during an election night gathering at California Democratic headquarters in Sacramento, California, on Nov. 4, 2025. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a joint statement, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12054491/in-rebuke-of-rfk-jr-the-west-coast-unites-on-vaccine-policy\">the governors said the CDC had “become a political tool\u003c/a> that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences,” adding that “California, Oregon and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12056289/california-law-sets-states-own-vaccine-schedules-deepening-rift-with-cdc\">Newsom has also signed a law\u003c/a> which now allows the state to act independently from the CDC when it comes to vaccine recommendations, “empowering California to chart its own path and reject corrupted federal guidelines,” according to a statement from the governor’s office. As for how California is able to expand beyond the FDA’s eligibility restrictions, that FDA decision affects what’s called the vaccine’s “label” — and California is now making the shot available to people outside of the FDA’s limitations “off-label.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And what about the CDC, which has issued annual recommendations for who should get these vaccines since they were first released in 2021? In summer 2025, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dissolved the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices panel and \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-health-chief-kennedy-names-new-members-vaccine-advisory-committee-2025-06-11/\">replaced its members with a number of doctors and researchers\u003c/a> who have repeatedly questioned the safety of commonly used vaccines and ingredients.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But after a lawsuit earlier this year that blocked \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/16/nx-s1-5749530/judge-blocks-rfk-jr-vaccine-changes\">the Trump administration’s efforts \u003c/a>to reduce routine vaccines for children, the CDC’s process for issuing annual vaccine guidelines — including COVID-19 — remains in limbo, and for the first time since 2021, the agency has released no formal guidelines for the COVID-19 shot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The CDC’s recommendations used to be what insurance companies based their coverage on when it comes to vaccines. But the state has confirmed that all vaccines recommended by CDPH — which includes COVID-19 vaccines for anyone who wants them — “continue to be covered by health insurance regulated in California.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The new 2026-27 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/covid-19\">COVID-19\u003c/a> vaccine is here — although unlike in previous years, there’s a chance you might not even have heard about it yet.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The new 2026-27 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/covid-19\">COVID-19\u003c/a> vaccine is here — although unlike in previous years, there’s a chance you might not even have heard about it yet.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the updated shots last week. But this year, there’s been \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/09/02/nx-s1-5947884/covid-flu-rsv-vaccine-recommendations\">no formal guidance\u003c/a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about who should actually get it.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the updated shots last week. But this year, there’s been \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/09/02/nx-s1-5947884/covid-flu-rsv-vaccine-recommendations\">no formal guidance\u003c/a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about who should actually get it.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the absence of any federal guidelines, the California Department of Public Health issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Immunization/IMM-1481.pdf#msdynmkt_trackingcontext=42181725-f337-476b-805b-39989c120200\">its own recommendations \u003c/a>on Friday about who should absolutely seek out the new COVID-19 shot. State health officials’ strongest recommendations are for everyone age 65 and older, those with risk factors that increase their chances of getting severe COVID-19, pregnant people, children age 6 to 23 months and healthcare workers. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In the absence of any federal guidelines, the California Department of Public Health issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Immunization/IMM-1481.pdf#msdynmkt_trackingcontext=42181725-f337-476b-805b-39989c120200\">its own recommendations \u003c/a>on Friday about who should absolutely seek out the new COVID-19 shot. State health officials’ strongest recommendations are for everyone age 65 and older, those with risk factors that increase their chances of getting severe COVID-19, pregnant people, children age 6 to 23 months and healthcare workers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COVIDGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12053910\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COVIDGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COVIDGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COVIDGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A new COVID-19 vaccine is now available.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Luis Alvarez/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COVIDGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12053910\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A new COVID-19 vaccine is now available.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Luis Alvarez/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the state also said that basically everyone else — or in their words, “all who choose to reduce risk of severe illness” — can get the 2026-27 COVID-19 shot, too, and that it’ll be covered by health insurance.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But the state also said that basically everyone else — or in their words, “all who choose to reduce risk of severe illness” — can get the 2026-27 COVID-19 shot, too, and that it’ll be covered by health insurance.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Six years out from the onset of the pandemic, the language around COVID-19 vaccine recommendations has definitely changed. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Six years out from the onset of the pandemic, the language around COVID-19 vaccine recommendations has definitely changed. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Keep reading for how to understand the latest guidelines, why you’re not hearing anything from the CDC this year and when you should consider getting your own vaccine to lower your chances of getting a nasty bout of COVID-19 this fall and winter.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Keep reading for how to understand the latest guidelines, why you’re not hearing anything from the CDC this year and when you should consider getting your own vaccine to lower your chances of getting a nasty bout of COVID-19 this fall and winter.\u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
"text": "First off, are appointments for the new 2026-27 COVID vaccines already available?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First off, are appointments for the new 2026-27 COVID vaccines already available?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First off, are appointments for the new 2026-27 COVID vaccines already available?\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yes: The new shots have already rolled out at pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens around the state. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Yes: The new shots have already rolled out at pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens around the state. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Pharmacies are the first place that COVID vaccine supplies become available each fall right after the FDA and CDC sign off, because they take their orders from the federal government rather than the state. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Pharmacies are the first place that COVID vaccine supplies become available each fall right after the FDA and CDC sign off, because they take their orders from the federal government rather than the state. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the coming weeks, the updated 2026-27 COVID vaccine will soon become available at doctors’ offices, clinics and health systems like Kaiser Permanente.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In the coming weeks, the updated 2026-27 COVID vaccine will soon become available at doctors’ offices, clinics and health systems like Kaiser Permanente.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’re a parent wanting to vaccinate your kid sooner rather than later, however, remember: The state says that pharmacies \u003cem>aren’t\u003c/em> authorized to vaccinate children age two and under. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you’re a parent wanting to vaccinate your kid sooner rather than later, however, remember: The state says that pharmacies \u003cem>aren’t\u003c/em> authorized to vaccinate children age two and under. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This means that unless your child is age three or older, you won’t be able to get their COVID shot at a pharmacy, and you should talk to your child’s pediatrician about how best to get their shot. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>This means that unless your child is age three or older, you won’t be able to get their COVID shot at a pharmacy, and you should talk to your child’s pediatrician about how best to get their shot. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The exception to this is CVS’s MinuteClinics, which are staffed by providers who are permitted to administer a COVID vaccine to kids age 18 months and older.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The exception to this is CVS’s MinuteClinics, which are staffed by providers who are permitted to administer a COVID vaccine to kids age 18 months and older.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Will my fall COVID shot still be covered by health insurance?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will my fall COVID shot still be covered by health insurance?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will my fall COVID shot still be covered by health insurance?\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yes: “All vaccines recommended by the California Department of Public Health continue to be covered by health insurance regulated in California,” CDPH said in its Friday statement announcing its recommendations around the 2026-27 COVID-19 vaccines.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Yes: “All vaccines recommended by the California Department of Public Health continue to be covered by health insurance regulated in California,” CDPH said in its Friday statement announcing its recommendations around the 2026-27 COVID-19 vaccines.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One wrinkle to remember if you get your healthcare through a system like Kaiser Permanente: If you’re considering getting your COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy for convenience, rather than from your own provider, you usually \u003cem>can’t\u003c/em> get vaccines fully covered by your insurance. But, according to Kaiser, “you may be able to get up to \u003ca href=\"https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/northern-california/health-wellness/coronavirus-information/vaccine-appointments\">half of the cost \u003c/a>reimbursed.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One wrinkle to remember if you get your healthcare through a system like Kaiser Permanente: If you’re considering getting your COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy for convenience, rather than from your own provider, you usually \u003cem>can’t\u003c/em> get vaccines fully covered by your insurance. But, according to Kaiser, “you may be able to get up to \u003ca href=\"https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/northern-california/health-wellness/coronavirus-information/vaccine-appointments\">half of the cost \u003c/a>reimbursed.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’re going the reimbursement route, bear in mind that \u003ca href=\"https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine\">the out-of-pocket cost of getting your COVID-19 vaccine\u003c/a> at CVS this year is now $278.99 — up 40% from $198.99 last year.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you’re going the reimbursement route, bear in mind that \u003ca href=\"https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine\">the out-of-pocket cost of getting your COVID-19 vaccine\u003c/a> at CVS this year is now $278.99 — up 40% from $198.99 last year.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "When should I get my 2026-27 COVID shot?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cem>When \u003c/em>should I get my 2026-27 COVID shot?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cem>When \u003c/em>should I get my 2026-27 COVID shot?\u003c/h2>\n"
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"text": "Higher-risk groups"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Higher-risk groups\u003c/h3>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The 2026-27 COVID-19 vaccine is available to patients age 6 months and older, but California health officials are strongly recommending the updated vaccine for the following higher-risk groups:\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The 2026-27 COVID-19 vaccine is available to patients age 6 months and older, but California health officials are strongly recommending the updated vaccine for the following higher-risk groups:\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Children:\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>All children age 6-23 months\u003c/li>\n",
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},
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>All children age 2-18 years with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Immunization/populations-at-risk-covid.pdf\">risk factors\u003c/a> or who’ve never been vaccinated against COVID-19\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>All children age 2-18 years with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Immunization/populations-at-risk-covid.pdf\">risk factors\u003c/a> or who’ve never been vaccinated against COVID-19\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>All children who are in close contact with others with risk factors\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Adults:\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>All age 65 years and older\u003c/li>\n",
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},
{
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Anyone who’s pregnant, planning to become pregnant or is postpartum\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>Anyone who’s pregnant, planning to become pregnant or is postpartum\u003c/li>\n"
]
},
{
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Anyone age 9-64 years with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Immunization/populations-at-risk-covid.pdf\">risk factors\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>Anyone age 9-64 years with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Immunization/populations-at-risk-covid.pdf\">risk factors\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
]
},
{
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>All who are in close contact with others with risk factors\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>All who are in close contact with others with risk factors\u003c/li>\n"
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},
{
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>All healthcare workers\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>All healthcare workers\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12033385\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A syringe is filled with a dose of the Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site inside Reuther Hall at Forty Acres on March 13, 2021, in Delano, California. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12033385\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A syringe is filled with a dose of the Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site inside Reuther Hall at Forty Acres on March 13, 2021, in Delano, California. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’re in one of the above groups — meaning you’re either at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 yourself or at higher risk of spreading COVID-19 to others — it’s a good idea to seek out your updated vaccine soon, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UCSF.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you’re in one of the above groups — meaning you’re either at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 yourself or at higher risk of spreading COVID-19 to others — it’s a good idea to seek out your updated vaccine soon, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UCSF.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There are some populations who I just don’t want there to be any doubt about, because they’re very important,” Chin-Hong said. “I’m on the highest alert around them, because those are the people who are still coming into the hospital [with COVID-19], either inpatient or going to the emergency room.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“There are some populations who I just don’t want there to be any doubt about, because they’re very important,” Chin-Hong said. “I’m on the highest alert around them, because those are the people who are still coming into the hospital [with COVID-19], either inpatient or going to the emergency room.”\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a nutshell: If you’re one of the people in the list above, or your kid is, seek out your new COVID-19 shot as soon as you can.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In a nutshell: If you’re one of the people in the list above, or your kid is, seek out your new COVID-19 shot as soon as you can.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>See the full list of CDPH’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/publichealth4all/vaccines.aspx#table\">recommendations for respiratory vaccines\u003c/a> this year.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>See the full list of CDPH’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/publichealth4all/vaccines.aspx#table\">recommendations for respiratory vaccines\u003c/a> this year.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "People who aren’t at higher risk"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">People who aren’t at higher risk\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">People who aren’t at higher risk\u003c/h3>\n"
],
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{
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you or your child isn’t listed in those higher-risk groups above, you fall into CDPH’s recommendation that “all who choose to reduce risk of severe illness” can still get the updated 2026-27 COVID-19 shot.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you or your child isn’t listed in those higher-risk groups above, you fall into CDPH’s recommendation that “all who choose to reduce risk of severe illness” can still get the updated 2026-27 COVID-19 shot.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But what does that mean practically? \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But what does that mean practically? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One thing to know: The Bay Area is still in a summer COVID wave, as shown by \u003ca href=\"https://data.wastewaterscan.org/tracker/?charts=CoYBEAA4AUgAUgY1NzlkYTNSBjM3NDMwYVIGZTllODdlUgYwN2NlZDdSBjhhOWI0YlIGYzhkMzU3UgYyNTQ4MTlSBmRkMzZmYlIGZmEyZDYzUgZiNzIzYWVSBmJjNzlmOVIGODRkNDg5UgZkZGU4OGZaBk4gR2VuZXifAYoBBmQyY2RlNrgBiwg%3D&selectedChartId=d2cde6\">levels of coronavirus in the region’s wastewater\u003c/a> (aka human sewage). And “based on current patterns, we still have plenty of the current wave ahead of us,” said Dr. Matt Willis, the state’s correspondent for \u003ca href=\"https://yourlocalepidemiologistca.substack.com/\">Your Local Epidemiologist California, who was formerly Marin County’s public health officer at the height of the pandemic. “\u003c/a>It still hasn’t peaked, and then there’s a few weeks on the downslope to expect.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>One thing to know: The Bay Area is still in a summer COVID wave, as shown by \u003ca href=\"https://data.wastewaterscan.org/tracker/?charts=CoYBEAA4AUgAUgY1NzlkYTNSBjM3NDMwYVIGZTllODdlUgYwN2NlZDdSBjhhOWI0YlIGYzhkMzU3UgYyNTQ4MTlSBmRkMzZmYlIGZmEyZDYzUgZiNzIzYWVSBmJjNzlmOVIGODRkNDg5UgZkZGU4OGZaBk4gR2VuZXifAYoBBmQyY2RlNrgBiwg%3D&selectedChartId=d2cde6\">levels of coronavirus in the region’s wastewater\u003c/a> (aka human sewage). And “based on current patterns, we still have plenty of the current wave ahead of us,” said Dr. Matt Willis, the state’s correspondent for \u003ca href=\"https://yourlocalepidemiologistca.substack.com/\">Your Local Epidemiologist California, who was formerly Marin County’s public health officer at the height of the pandemic. “\u003c/a>It still hasn’t peaked, and then there’s a few weeks on the downslope to expect.”\u003c/p>\n"
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{
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>With that in mind, Willis told KQED by email that “if you want to be protected even if you’re not high risk, I would still go ahead and get the vaccine now.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>With that in mind, Willis told KQED by email that “if you want to be protected even if you’re not high risk, I would still go ahead and get the vaccine now.”\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In California, he said, “We haven’t really seen COVID-19 activity in the winter, at least judging from the past two years. So the likelihood of being infected with COVID-19 is likely higher for the next couple months than it may be for the rest of the year, until next summer.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In California, he said, “We haven’t really seen COVID-19 activity in the winter, at least judging from the past two years. So the likelihood of being infected with COVID-19 is likely higher for the next couple months than it may be for the rest of the year, until next summer.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Of course, there are people — like Kaiser patients, or people who prefer to get their COVID vaccine at their own doctor’s office — who’ll be waiting to get their shot until supplies of the new vaccine become available beyond pharmacies. And Chin-Hong said there are other reasons some people might consider waiting a little, too.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Of course, there are people — like Kaiser patients, or people who prefer to get their COVID vaccine at their own doctor’s office — who’ll be waiting to get their shot until supplies of the new vaccine become available beyond pharmacies. And Chin-Hong said there are other reasons some people might consider waiting a little, too.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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{
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As a physician, “I put an exclamation point next to the people who I \u003cem>really \u003c/em>want to get it,” Chin-Hong said. But “for everyone else, it could be used strategically,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>As a physician, “I put an exclamation point next to the people who I \u003cem>really \u003c/em>want to get it,” Chin-Hong said. But “for everyone else, it could be used strategically,” he said.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Getting the new vaccine will give you “a buffer for infection for about three months or so,” Chin-Hong said — and it’ll take around two weeks after getting your shot for your body to develop the fullest immunity. So you might consider strategically timing your updated COVID-19 shot to coincide with any travel you have coming up this fall, he said — or to have good protection for around the holidays.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Getting the new vaccine will give you “a buffer for infection for about three months or so,” Chin-Hong said — and it’ll take around two weeks after getting your shot for your body to develop the fullest immunity. So you might consider strategically timing your updated COVID-19 shot to coincide with any travel you have coming up this fall, he said — or to have good protection for around the holidays.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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{
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A boy with a tuxedo T-shirt and a face mask holds his mother's hand as he receives a shot in the arm by a nurse.\" class=\"wp-image-11961112\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A child receives a COVID-19 vaccine on Sept. 12, 2023. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A boy with a tuxedo T-shirt and a face mask holds his mother's hand as he receives a shot in the arm by a nurse.\" class=\"wp-image-11961112\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A child receives a COVID-19 vaccine on Sept. 12, 2023. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If just getting out to \u003cem>get \u003c/em>your vaccines is difficult, you could also opt to conveniently get your COVID shot and your flu shot during the same appointment in October, said Chin-Hong. As for that specific timing, it’s best to get your flu shot sometime before Halloween, he said, and you don’t want to get it \u003cem>too \u003c/em>early ahead of flu season, which might arrive a little later this year if Australia’s flu season — \u003ca href=\"https://www.today.com/health/cold-flu/flu-guide-2026-season-severity-symptoms-treatment-mrna-vaccine-rcna595714\">traditionally used as a barometer of what the U.S. can expect\u003c/a> — is any indicator.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If just getting out to \u003cem>get \u003c/em>your vaccines is difficult, you could also opt to conveniently get your COVID shot and your flu shot during the same appointment in October, said Chin-Hong. As for that specific timing, it’s best to get your flu shot sometime before Halloween, he said, and you don’t want to get it \u003cem>too \u003c/em>early ahead of flu season, which might arrive a little later this year if Australia’s flu season — \u003ca href=\"https://www.today.com/health/cold-flu/flu-guide-2026-season-severity-symptoms-treatment-mrna-vaccine-rcna595714\">traditionally used as a barometer of what the U.S. can expect\u003c/a> — is any indicator.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>However, if you’re the kind of person whose calendar and obligations get packed in the fall and you’re concerned you’ll forget to get your shots altogether, release yourself from the burden of overstrategizing and just go get your vaccine when you can.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>However, if you’re the kind of person whose calendar and obligations get packed in the fall and you’re concerned you’ll forget to get your shots altogether, release yourself from the burden of overstrategizing and just go get your vaccine when you can.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And remember: If you were one of the many folks in the Bay Area who got taken down by COVID-19 during \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091325/summer-covid-test-2026-wastewater-variants-isolation-contagious-xfg-san-francisco-bay-area-california\">this summer’s ongoing wave\u003c/a>, your infection has given you around three months’ natural immunity — so you should wait until that “expires” before seeking out your latest COVID-19 vaccine.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>And remember: If you were one of the many folks in the Bay Area who got taken down by COVID-19 during \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091325/summer-covid-test-2026-wastewater-variants-isolation-contagious-xfg-san-francisco-bay-area-california\">this summer’s ongoing wave\u003c/a>, your infection has given you around three months’ natural immunity — so you should wait until that “expires” before seeking out your latest COVID-19 vaccine.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Will the new 2026-27 COVID shot protect me from the latest strains out there right now?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will the new 2026-27 COVID shot protect me from the latest strains out there right now?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will the new 2026-27 COVID shot protect me from the latest strains out there right now?\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yes, Chin-Hong said — each year the COVID-19 vaccine is updated for maximum efficacy, to target the variants that are most likely to try to take you down this year.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Yes, Chin-Hong said — each year the COVID-19 vaccine is updated for maximum efficacy, to target the variants that are most likely to try to take you down this year.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The 2026-27 shot actually only targets one strain, XFG, “which is the number one strain right now circulating,” Chin-Hong said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The 2026-27 shot actually only targets one strain, XFG, “which is the number one strain right now circulating,” Chin-Hong said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>People infected with XFG have often reported a scratchy, hoarse throat that’s easily mistaken for allergies, along with the kind of primarily respiratory symptoms we’ve come to expect from COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>People infected with XFG have often reported a scratchy, hoarse throat that’s easily mistaken for allergies, along with the kind of primarily respiratory symptoms we’ve come to expect from COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Where can I find the new COVID vaccine — other than a pharmacy?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where can I find the new COVID vaccine — other than a pharmacy?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where can I find the new COVID vaccine — other than a pharmacy?\u003c/h2>\n"
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"text": "Through your healthcare provider, when available"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Through your healthcare provider, when available\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Through your healthcare provider, when available\u003c/h3>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you have health insurance, check with your healthcare provider to see whether they can offer you an updated COVID-19 vaccine, and when.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you have health insurance, check with your healthcare provider to see whether they can offer you an updated COVID-19 vaccine, and when.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you don’t have health insurance but get medical care through a city- or county-run provider, you should check with that location to see whether they can offer you the new COVID-19 vaccine.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you don’t have health insurance but get medical care through a city- or county-run provider, you should check with that location to see whether they can offer you the new COVID-19 vaccine.\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-800x562.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-1020x717.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-1536x1079.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-1920x1349.jpg 1920w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12028314\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-800x562.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-1020x717.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-1536x1079.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-1920x1349.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A CVS in Huntington Park on Aug. 28, 2024. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Christina House/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12028314\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A CVS in Huntington Park on Aug. 28, 2024. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Christina House/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In addition to talking with your healthcare provider directly, check the website of your provider to see whether it offers the ability to make appointments and sign up for their vaccine notifications if that’s an option.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In addition to talking with your healthcare provider directly, check the website of your provider to see whether it offers the ability to make appointments and sign up for their vaccine notifications if that’s an option.\u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "Through My Turn, when available"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Through My Turn, when available\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Through My Turn, when available\u003c/h3>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Throughout the pandemic, \u003ca href=\"https://myturn.ca.gov/\">My Turn has been the state’s site\u003c/a> for Californians to schedule vaccination appointments or find walk-in locations, regardless of health insurance status.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Throughout the pandemic, \u003ca href=\"https://myturn.ca.gov/\">My Turn has been the state’s site\u003c/a> for Californians to schedule vaccination appointments or find walk-in locations, regardless of health insurance status.\u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
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"text": "Through your county, when available"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Through your county, when available\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Through your county, when available\u003c/h3>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Check your county’s public health website to see if the updated COVID-19 vaccine will soon be available to residents, especially those who are uninsured or underinsured.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Check your county’s public health website to see if the updated COVID-19 vaccine will soon be available to residents, especially those who are uninsured or underinsured.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "I heard the FDA and CDC tried to restrict eligibility for COVID vaccines last year. Can I still get my shot?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I heard the FDA and CDC tried to restrict eligibility for COVID vaccines last year. Can I still get my shot?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I heard the FDA and CDC tried to restrict eligibility for COVID vaccines last year. Can I still get my shot?\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yes — because California’s own recommendations overrule the federal government when it comes to you accessing this vaccine.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Yes — because California’s own recommendations overrule the federal government when it comes to you accessing this vaccine.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To understand the backstory: In August 2025, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12053906/covid-vaccines-booster-2025-fda-cdc-who-can-get-updated-vaccine-novavax-pfizer-moderna-where-find\">the FDA under President Donald Trump’s second administration announced\u003c/a> that the agency would be limiting eligibility for the updated shots for the first time — and that the 2025-26 vaccines would be available only to people age 65 and over and to anyone with a health condition that puts them at higher risk from COVID-19. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>To understand the backstory: In August 2025, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12053906/covid-vaccines-booster-2025-fda-cdc-who-can-get-updated-vaccine-novavax-pfizer-moderna-where-find\">the FDA under President Donald Trump’s second administration announced\u003c/a> that the agency would be limiting eligibility for the updated shots for the first time — and that the 2025-26 vaccines would be available only to people age 65 and over and to anyone with a health condition that puts them at higher risk from COVID-19. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At first, the shots rolled out across California pharmacies only for these groups. But shortly after, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state would join Oregon and Washington in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12054491/in-rebuke-of-rfk-jr-the-west-coast-unites-on-vaccine-policy\">launching a new “West Coast Health Alliance,”\u003c/a> a coalition that now issues its own state-specific vaccine recommendations — effectively overriding the FDA and CDC’s attempts to limit eligibility for your COVID-19 vaccine in California.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>At first, the shots rolled out across California pharmacies only for these groups. But shortly after, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state would join Oregon and Washington in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12054491/in-rebuke-of-rfk-jr-the-west-coast-unites-on-vaccine-policy\">launching a new “West Coast Health Alliance,”\u003c/a> a coalition that now issues its own state-specific vaccine recommendations — effectively overriding the FDA and CDC’s attempts to limit eligibility for your COVID-19 vaccine in California.\u003c/p>\n"
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"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom (left), looks on during an election night gathering at California Democratic headquarters in Sacramento, California, on Nov. 4, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087658\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom (left), looks on during an election night gathering at California Democratic headquarters in Sacramento, California, on Nov. 4, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a joint statement, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12054491/in-rebuke-of-rfk-jr-the-west-coast-unites-on-vaccine-policy\">the governors said the CDC had “become a political tool\u003c/a> that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences,” adding that “California, Oregon and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In a joint statement, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12054491/in-rebuke-of-rfk-jr-the-west-coast-unites-on-vaccine-policy\">the governors said the CDC had “become a political tool\u003c/a> that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences,” adding that “California, Oregon and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12056289/california-law-sets-states-own-vaccine-schedules-deepening-rift-with-cdc\">Newsom has also signed a law\u003c/a> which now allows the state to act independently from the CDC when it comes to vaccine recommendations, “empowering California to chart its own path and reject corrupted federal guidelines,” according to a statement from the governor’s office. As for how California is able to expand beyond the FDA’s eligibility restrictions, that FDA decision affects what’s called the vaccine’s “label” — and California is now making the shot available to people outside of the FDA’s limitations “off-label.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12056289/california-law-sets-states-own-vaccine-schedules-deepening-rift-with-cdc\">Newsom has also signed a law\u003c/a> which now allows the state to act independently from the CDC when it comes to vaccine recommendations, “empowering California to chart its own path and reject corrupted federal guidelines,” according to a statement from the governor’s office. As for how California is able to expand beyond the FDA’s eligibility restrictions, that FDA decision affects what’s called the vaccine’s “label” — and California is now making the shot available to people outside of the FDA’s limitations “off-label.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And what about the CDC, which has issued annual recommendations for who should get these vaccines since they were first released in 2021? In summer 2025, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dissolved the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices panel and \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-health-chief-kennedy-names-new-members-vaccine-advisory-committee-2025-06-11/\">replaced its members with a number of doctors and researchers\u003c/a> who have repeatedly questioned the safety of commonly used vaccines and ingredients.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And what about the CDC, which has issued annual recommendations for who should get these vaccines since they were first released in 2021? In summer 2025, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dissolved the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices panel and \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-health-chief-kennedy-names-new-members-vaccine-advisory-committee-2025-06-11/\">replaced its members with a number of doctors and researchers\u003c/a> who have repeatedly questioned the safety of commonly used vaccines and ingredients.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But after a lawsuit earlier this year that blocked \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/16/nx-s1-5749530/judge-blocks-rfk-jr-vaccine-changes\">the Trump administration’s efforts \u003c/a>to reduce routine vaccines for children, the CDC’s process for issuing annual vaccine guidelines — including COVID-19 — remains in limbo, and for the first time since 2021, the agency has released no formal guidelines for the COVID-19 shot. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But after a lawsuit earlier this year that blocked \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/16/nx-s1-5749530/judge-blocks-rfk-jr-vaccine-changes\">the Trump administration’s efforts \u003c/a>to reduce routine vaccines for children, the CDC’s process for issuing annual vaccine guidelines — including COVID-19 — remains in limbo, and for the first time since 2021, the agency has released no formal guidelines for the COVID-19 shot. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The CDC’s recommendations used to be what insurance companies based their coverage on when it comes to vaccines. But the state has confirmed that all vaccines recommended by CDPH — which includes COVID-19 vaccines for anyone who wants them — “continue to be covered by health insurance regulated in California.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The CDC’s recommendations used to be what insurance companies based their coverage on when it comes to vaccines. But the state has confirmed that all vaccines recommended by CDPH — which includes COVID-19 vaccines for anyone who wants them — “continue to be covered by health insurance regulated in California.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "The updated 2026-27 COVID-19 vaccine is now rolling out across California. What to know about where to get yours — and what’s covered by insurance.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The new 2026-27 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/covid-19\">COVID-19\u003c/a> vaccine is here — although unlike in previous years, there’s a chance you might not even have heard about it yet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the updated shots last week. But this year, there’s been \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/09/02/nx-s1-5947884/covid-flu-rsv-vaccine-recommendations\">no formal guidance\u003c/a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about who should actually get it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the absence of any federal guidelines, the California Department of Public Health issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Immunization/IMM-1481.pdf#msdynmkt_trackingcontext=42181725-f337-476b-805b-39989c120200\">its own recommendations \u003c/a>on Friday about who should absolutely seek out the new COVID-19 shot. State health officials’ strongest recommendations are for everyone age 65 and older, those with risk factors that increase their chances of getting severe COVID-19, pregnant people, children age 6 to 23 months and healthcare workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COVIDGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12053910\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COVIDGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COVIDGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COVIDGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A new COVID-19 vaccine is now available. (Luis Alvarez/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the state also said that basically everyone else — or in their words, “all who choose to reduce risk of severe illness” — can get the 2026-27 COVID-19 shot, too, and that it’ll be covered by health insurance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Six years out from the onset of the pandemic, the language around COVID-19 vaccine recommendations has definitely changed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Keep reading for how to understand the latest guidelines, why you’re not hearing anything from the CDC this year and when you should consider getting your own vaccine to lower your chances of getting a nasty bout of COVID-19 this fall and winter.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First off, are appointments for the new 2026-27 COVID vaccines already available?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes: The new shots have already rolled out at pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens around the state. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pharmacies are the first place that COVID vaccine supplies become available each fall right after the FDA and CDC sign off, because they take their orders from the federal government rather than the state. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the coming weeks, the updated 2026-27 COVID vaccine will soon become available at doctors’ offices, clinics and health systems like Kaiser Permanente.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re a parent wanting to vaccinate your kid sooner rather than later, however, remember: The state says that pharmacies \u003cem>aren’t\u003c/em> authorized to vaccinate children age two and under. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This means that unless your child is age three or older, you won’t be able to get their COVID shot at a pharmacy, and you should talk to your child’s pediatrician about how best to get their shot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The exception to this is CVS’s MinuteClinics, which are staffed by providers who are permitted to administer a COVID vaccine to kids age 18 months and older.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will my fall COVID shot still be covered by health insurance?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes: “All vaccines recommended by the California Department of Public Health continue to be covered by health insurance regulated in California,” CDPH said in its Friday statement announcing its recommendations around the 2026-27 COVID-19 vaccines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One wrinkle to remember if you get your healthcare through a system like Kaiser Permanente: If you’re considering getting your COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy for convenience, rather than from your own provider, you usually \u003cem>can’t\u003c/em> get vaccines fully covered by your insurance. But, according to Kaiser, “you may be able to get up to \u003ca href=\"https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/northern-california/health-wellness/coronavirus-information/vaccine-appointments\">half of the cost \u003c/a>reimbursed.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re going the reimbursement route, bear in mind that \u003ca href=\"https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine\">the out-of-pocket cost of getting your COVID-19 vaccine\u003c/a> at CVS this year is now $278.99 — up 40% from $198.99 last year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cem>When \u003c/em>should I get my 2026-27 COVID shot?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Higher-risk groups\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 2026-27 COVID-19 vaccine is available to patients age 6 months and older, but California health officials are strongly recommending the updated vaccine for the following higher-risk groups:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Children:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>All children age 6-23 months\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>All children age 2-18 years with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Immunization/populations-at-risk-covid.pdf\">risk factors\u003c/a> or who’ve never been vaccinated against COVID-19\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>All children who are in close contact with others with risk factors\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Adults:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>All age 65 years and older\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Anyone who’s pregnant, planning to become pregnant or is postpartum\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Anyone age 9-64 years with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Immunization/populations-at-risk-covid.pdf\">risk factors\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>All who are in close contact with others with risk factors\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>All healthcare workers\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12033385\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1231697879_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A syringe is filled with a dose of the Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site inside Reuther Hall at Forty Acres on March 13, 2021, in Delano, California. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re in one of the above groups — meaning you’re either at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 yourself or at higher risk of spreading COVID-19 to others — it’s a good idea to seek out your updated vaccine soon, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UCSF.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There are some populations who I just don’t want there to be any doubt about, because they’re very important,” Chin-Hong said. “I’m on the highest alert around them, because those are the people who are still coming into the hospital [with COVID-19], either inpatient or going to the emergency room.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a nutshell: If you’re one of the people in the list above, or your kid is, seek out your new COVID-19 shot as soon as you can.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>See the full list of CDPH’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/publichealth4all/vaccines.aspx#table\">recommendations for respiratory vaccines\u003c/a> this year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">People who aren’t at higher risk\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you or your child isn’t listed in those higher-risk groups above, you fall into CDPH’s recommendation that “all who choose to reduce risk of severe illness” can still get the updated 2026-27 COVID-19 shot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But what does that mean practically? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One thing to know: The Bay Area is still in a summer COVID wave, as shown by \u003ca href=\"https://data.wastewaterscan.org/tracker/?charts=CoYBEAA4AUgAUgY1NzlkYTNSBjM3NDMwYVIGZTllODdlUgYwN2NlZDdSBjhhOWI0YlIGYzhkMzU3UgYyNTQ4MTlSBmRkMzZmYlIGZmEyZDYzUgZiNzIzYWVSBmJjNzlmOVIGODRkNDg5UgZkZGU4OGZaBk4gR2VuZXifAYoBBmQyY2RlNrgBiwg%3D&selectedChartId=d2cde6\">levels of coronavirus in the region’s wastewater\u003c/a> (aka human sewage). And “based on current patterns, we still have plenty of the current wave ahead of us,” said Dr. Matt Willis, the state’s correspondent for \u003ca href=\"https://yourlocalepidemiologistca.substack.com/\">Your Local Epidemiologist California, who was formerly Marin County’s public health officer at the height of the pandemic. “\u003c/a>It still hasn’t peaked, and then there’s a few weeks on the downslope to expect.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With that in mind, Willis told KQED by email that “if you want to be protected even if you’re not high risk, I would still go ahead and get the vaccine now.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In California, he said, “We haven’t really seen COVID-19 activity in the winter, at least judging from the past two years. So the likelihood of being infected with COVID-19 is likely higher for the next couple months than it may be for the rest of the year, until next summer.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Of course, there are people — like Kaiser patients, or people who prefer to get their COVID vaccine at their own doctor’s office — who’ll be waiting to get their shot until supplies of the new vaccine become available beyond pharmacies. And Chin-Hong said there are other reasons some people might consider waiting a little, too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a physician, “I put an exclamation point next to the people who I \u003cem>really \u003c/em>want to get it,” Chin-Hong said. But “for everyone else, it could be used strategically,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Getting the new vaccine will give you “a buffer for infection for about three months or so,” Chin-Hong said — and it’ll take around two weeks after getting your shot for your body to develop the fullest immunity. So you might consider strategically timing your updated COVID-19 shot to coincide with any travel you have coming up this fall, he said — or to have good protection for around the holidays.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A boy with a tuxedo T-shirt and a face mask holds his mother's hand as he receives a shot in the arm by a nurse.\" class=\"wp-image-11961112\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/005_SanFrancisco_UnitedinHealthKidsCOVIDVaccination_11092021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A child receives a COVID-19 vaccine on Sept. 12, 2023. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If just getting out to \u003cem>get \u003c/em>your vaccines is difficult, you could also opt to conveniently get your COVID shot and your flu shot during the same appointment in October, said Chin-Hong. As for that specific timing, it’s best to get your flu shot sometime before Halloween, he said, and you don’t want to get it \u003cem>too \u003c/em>early ahead of flu season, which might arrive a little later this year if Australia’s flu season — \u003ca href=\"https://www.today.com/health/cold-flu/flu-guide-2026-season-severity-symptoms-treatment-mrna-vaccine-rcna595714\">traditionally used as a barometer of what the U.S. can expect\u003c/a> — is any indicator.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, if you’re the kind of person whose calendar and obligations get packed in the fall and you’re concerned you’ll forget to get your shots altogether, release yourself from the burden of overstrategizing and just go get your vaccine when you can.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And remember: If you were one of the many folks in the Bay Area who got taken down by COVID-19 during \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091325/summer-covid-test-2026-wastewater-variants-isolation-contagious-xfg-san-francisco-bay-area-california\">this summer’s ongoing wave\u003c/a>, your infection has given you around three months’ natural immunity — so you should wait until that “expires” before seeking out your latest COVID-19 vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will the new 2026-27 COVID shot protect me from the latest strains out there right now?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes, Chin-Hong said — each year the COVID-19 vaccine is updated for maximum efficacy, to target the variants that are most likely to try to take you down this year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 2026-27 shot actually only targets one strain, XFG, “which is the number one strain right now circulating,” Chin-Hong said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>People infected with XFG have often reported a scratchy, hoarse throat that’s easily mistaken for allergies, along with the kind of primarily respiratory symptoms we’ve come to expect from COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where can I find the new COVID vaccine — other than a pharmacy?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Through your healthcare provider, when available\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you have health insurance, check with your healthcare provider to see whether they can offer you an updated COVID-19 vaccine, and when.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you don’t have health insurance but get medical care through a city- or county-run provider, you should check with that location to see whether they can offer you the new COVID-19 vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1405\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12028314\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-800x562.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-1020x717.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-1536x1079.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/FluGetty-1920x1349.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A CVS in Huntington Park on Aug. 28, 2024. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to talking with your healthcare provider directly, check the website of your provider to see whether it offers the ability to make appointments and sign up for their vaccine notifications if that’s an option.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Through My Turn, when available\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Throughout the pandemic, \u003ca href=\"https://myturn.ca.gov/\">My Turn has been the state’s site\u003c/a> for Californians to schedule vaccination appointments or find walk-in locations, regardless of health insurance status.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Through your county, when available\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Check your county’s public health website to see if the updated COVID-19 vaccine will soon be available to residents, especially those who are uninsured or underinsured.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I heard the FDA and CDC tried to restrict eligibility for COVID vaccines last year. Can I still get my shot?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes — because California’s own recommendations overrule the federal government when it comes to you accessing this vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To understand the backstory: In August 2025, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12053906/covid-vaccines-booster-2025-fda-cdc-who-can-get-updated-vaccine-novavax-pfizer-moderna-where-find\">the FDA under President Donald Trump’s second administration announced\u003c/a> that the agency would be limiting eligibility for the updated shots for the first time — and that the 2025-26 vaccines would be available only to people age 65 and over and to anyone with a health condition that puts them at higher risk from COVID-19. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At first, the shots rolled out across California pharmacies only for these groups. But shortly after, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state would join Oregon and Washington in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12054491/in-rebuke-of-rfk-jr-the-west-coast-unites-on-vaccine-policy\">launching a new “West Coast Health Alliance,”\u003c/a> a coalition that now issues its own state-specific vaccine recommendations — effectively overriding the FDA and CDC’s attempts to limit eligibility for your COVID-19 vaccine in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1337\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom (left), looks on during an election night gathering at California Democratic headquarters in Sacramento, California, on Nov. 4, 2025. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a joint statement, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12054491/in-rebuke-of-rfk-jr-the-west-coast-unites-on-vaccine-policy\">the governors said the CDC had “become a political tool\u003c/a> that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences,” adding that “California, Oregon and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12056289/california-law-sets-states-own-vaccine-schedules-deepening-rift-with-cdc\">Newsom has also signed a law\u003c/a> which now allows the state to act independently from the CDC when it comes to vaccine recommendations, “empowering California to chart its own path and reject corrupted federal guidelines,” according to a statement from the governor’s office. As for how California is able to expand beyond the FDA’s eligibility restrictions, that FDA decision affects what’s called the vaccine’s “label” — and California is now making the shot available to people outside of the FDA’s limitations “off-label.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And what about the CDC, which has issued annual recommendations for who should get these vaccines since they were first released in 2021? In summer 2025, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dissolved the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices panel and \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-health-chief-kennedy-names-new-members-vaccine-advisory-committee-2025-06-11/\">replaced its members with a number of doctors and researchers\u003c/a> who have repeatedly questioned the safety of commonly used vaccines and ingredients.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But after a lawsuit earlier this year that blocked \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/16/nx-s1-5749530/judge-blocks-rfk-jr-vaccine-changes\">the Trump administration’s efforts \u003c/a>to reduce routine vaccines for children, the CDC’s process for issuing annual vaccine guidelines — including COVID-19 — remains in limbo, and for the first time since 2021, the agency has released no formal guidelines for the COVID-19 shot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The CDC’s recommendations used to be what insurance companies based their coverage on when it comes to vaccines. But the state has confirmed that all vaccines recommended by CDPH — which includes COVID-19 vaccines for anyone who wants them — “continue to be covered by health insurance regulated in California.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "judge-extends-halt-to-new-ice-facility-outside-gilroy-for-now",
"title": "Judge Extends Halt to New ICE Facility Outside Gilroy, for Now",
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"headTitle": "Judge Extends Halt to New ICE Facility Outside Gilroy, for Now | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara-county\">Santa Clara County\u003c/a> residents fighting the construction of a new immigration holding facility breathed a sigh of relief after a federal judge extended a halt to the project Tuesday, while she considers a potentially longer pause. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The county and California sued in June to stop the development and operation of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in an unincorporated area outside of Gilroy, which they claim is not a suitable location and is likely contaminated with hazardous waste. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Attorneys for ICE argued that the project is exempt from further environmental review because plans for the site as an office building — with a holding area for detained people — would not be “materially different” from its prior use by agricultural research companies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_014-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098775\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_014-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_014-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_014-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A speaker addresses demonstrators during an “ICE Out of Gilroy” rally outside the federal courthouse in San José on Sept. 8, 2026. The rally coincided with a federal court hearing on a request to halt construction of a planned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Gilroy. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But U.S. District Judge Eumi K. Lee seemed skeptical during the court hearing in San José on Tuesday. Outside of the courthouse, dozens of people protested the planned project. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Tell me how a change from agricultural research to immigration offices and detention is not a change in use,” Lee told U.S. Department of Justice attorney Krystal-Rose Perez at one point. “An office versus a detention center or holding center are very different things.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a tentative ruling last week, Lee said the state and county were likely to succeed in their charge that ICE and other federal agencies violated laws that require assessing environmental consequences and considering state and local viewpoints before approving a project. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The county claims development of the proposed 18,700-square-foot facility, which could hold up to 150 detainees, would overwhelm an existing septic system and disturb toxic fungicides and carcinogenic materials, posing a danger for workers and any future detainees. DOJ attorneys called that characterization overblown, arguing that only about 10 immigrants would be detained at any time there. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Even though we don’t have a final ruling yet from the court, the signs that we heard today in the hearing are incredibly encouraging,” Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti said, speaking to reporters afterward. “This is the wrong place for this facility. This should have never been proposed here, and it should certainly not proceed here.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In May, the government started demolition at 7240 Holsclaw Rd. to renovate existing structures into an ICE office with a short-term holding area, according to court documents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Plaintiffs’ speculation that ICE will overload the septic system at the site by holding 150 detainees, 24 hours a day, plus 60 staff members, lacks support,” government attorneys wrote in an opposition brief. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The brief continues later: “If the Gilroy project is delayed, ICE would have to rely on existing facilities that are farther away and already support other operational needs. Delaying the Gilroy project would also place a significant burden on individuals in removal proceedings who are out of custody and have reporting requirements with ICE.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_013-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098774\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_013-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_013-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_013-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A demonstrator holds an “ICE Out” sign near the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building during an “ICE Out of Gilroy” rally in San José on Sept. 8, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said that the agency has more than doubled its workforce and needs additional space. The agency maintains that its current offices about 10 miles north of Gilroy in Morgan Hill are insufficient, while the property’s lease is expiring soon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Is it really news that when a federal agency hires more personnel that they need more space? Thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill, we have an additional 12,000 ICE officers and agents on the ground across the country,” the DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “That’s a 120% increase in our workforce.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Construction on the facility had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090807/ice-will-pause-construction-on-controversial-south-bay-detention-facility\">been paused\u003c/a> as part of a voluntary agreement between the parties. Lee said she will continue a stay on the project until at least Sept. 15. If she then issues a preliminary injunction, as requested by the county, construction would be temporarily blocked. A final resolution on the case is not expected until after a hearing in October.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The dispute comes as ICE races to expand its detention capacity, after Congress approved $115 billion for immigration enforcement nationwide since July 2025. The Trump administration has increasingly locked up more immigrants fighting deportation, holding more than 65,000 at more than 200 facilities across the country, according to ICE’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.ice.gov/detain/detention-management#stats\">latest figures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The county and California sued in June to stop the development and operation of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in an unincorporated area outside of Gilroy, which they claim is not a suitable location and is likely contaminated with hazardous waste. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Attorneys for ICE argued that the project is exempt from further environmental review because plans for the site as an office building — with a holding area for detained people — would not be “materially different” from its prior use by agricultural research companies. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But U.S. District Judge Eumi K. Lee seemed skeptical during the court hearing in San José on Tuesday. Outside of the courthouse, dozens of people protested the planned project. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Tell me how a change from agricultural research to immigration offices and detention is not a change in use,” Lee told U.S. Department of Justice attorney Krystal-Rose Perez at one point. “An office versus a detention center or holding center are very different things.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The county claims development of the proposed 18,700-square-foot facility, which could hold up to 150 detainees, would overwhelm an existing septic system and disturb toxic fungicides and carcinogenic materials, posing a danger for workers and any future detainees. DOJ attorneys called that characterization overblown, arguing that only about 10 immigrants would be detained at any time there. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Even though we don’t have a final ruling yet from the court, the signs that we heard today in the hearing are incredibly encouraging,” Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti said, speaking to reporters afterward. “This is the wrong place for this facility. This should have never been proposed here, and it should certainly not proceed here.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In May, the government started demolition at 7240 Holsclaw Rd. to renovate existing structures into an ICE office with a short-term holding area, according to court documents. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Plaintiffs’ speculation that ICE will overload the septic system at the site by holding 150 detainees, 24 hours a day, plus 60 staff members, lacks support,” government attorneys wrote in an opposition brief. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The brief continues later: “If the Gilroy project is delayed, ICE would have to rely on existing facilities that are farther away and already support other operational needs. Delaying the Gilroy project would also place a significant burden on individuals in removal proceedings who are out of custody and have reporting requirements with ICE.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The brief continues later: “If the Gilroy project is delayed, ICE would have to rely on existing facilities that are farther away and already support other operational needs. Delaying the Gilroy project would also place a significant burden on individuals in removal proceedings who are out of custody and have reporting requirements with ICE.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said that the agency has more than doubled its workforce and needs additional space. The agency maintains that its current offices about 10 miles north of Gilroy in Morgan Hill are insufficient, while the property’s lease is expiring soon.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Is it really news that when a federal agency hires more personnel that they need more space? Thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill, we have an additional 12,000 ICE officers and agents on the ground across the country,” the DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “That’s a 120% increase in our workforce.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Construction on the facility had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090807/ice-will-pause-construction-on-controversial-south-bay-detention-facility\">been paused\u003c/a> as part of a voluntary agreement between the parties. Lee said she will continue a stay on the project until at least Sept. 15. If she then issues a preliminary injunction, as requested by the county, construction would be temporarily blocked. A final resolution on the case is not expected until after a hearing in October.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The dispute comes as ICE races to expand its detention capacity, after Congress approved $115 billion for immigration enforcement nationwide since July 2025. The Trump administration has increasingly locked up more immigrants fighting deportation, holding more than 65,000 at more than 200 facilities across the country, according to ICE’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.ice.gov/detain/detention-management#stats\">latest figures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A final decision on the future of the site is expected in October. \n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara-county\">Santa Clara County\u003c/a> residents fighting the construction of a new immigration holding facility breathed a sigh of relief after a federal judge extended a halt to the project Tuesday, while she considers a potentially longer pause. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The county and California sued in June to stop the development and operation of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in an unincorporated area outside of Gilroy, which they claim is not a suitable location and is likely contaminated with hazardous waste. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Attorneys for ICE argued that the project is exempt from further environmental review because plans for the site as an office building — with a holding area for detained people — would not be “materially different” from its prior use by agricultural research companies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_014-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098775\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_014-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_014-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_014-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A speaker addresses demonstrators during an “ICE Out of Gilroy” rally outside the federal courthouse in San José on Sept. 8, 2026. The rally coincided with a federal court hearing on a request to halt construction of a planned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Gilroy. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But U.S. District Judge Eumi K. Lee seemed skeptical during the court hearing in San José on Tuesday. Outside of the courthouse, dozens of people protested the planned project. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Tell me how a change from agricultural research to immigration offices and detention is not a change in use,” Lee told U.S. Department of Justice attorney Krystal-Rose Perez at one point. “An office versus a detention center or holding center are very different things.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a tentative ruling last week, Lee said the state and county were likely to succeed in their charge that ICE and other federal agencies violated laws that require assessing environmental consequences and considering state and local viewpoints before approving a project. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The county claims development of the proposed 18,700-square-foot facility, which could hold up to 150 detainees, would overwhelm an existing septic system and disturb toxic fungicides and carcinogenic materials, posing a danger for workers and any future detainees. DOJ attorneys called that characterization overblown, arguing that only about 10 immigrants would be detained at any time there. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Even though we don’t have a final ruling yet from the court, the signs that we heard today in the hearing are incredibly encouraging,” Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti said, speaking to reporters afterward. “This is the wrong place for this facility. This should have never been proposed here, and it should certainly not proceed here.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In May, the government started demolition at 7240 Holsclaw Rd. to renovate existing structures into an ICE office with a short-term holding area, according to court documents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Plaintiffs’ speculation that ICE will overload the septic system at the site by holding 150 detainees, 24 hours a day, plus 60 staff members, lacks support,” government attorneys wrote in an opposition brief. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The brief continues later: “If the Gilroy project is delayed, ICE would have to rely on existing facilities that are farther away and already support other operational needs. Delaying the Gilroy project would also place a significant burden on individuals in removal proceedings who are out of custody and have reporting requirements with ICE.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_013-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098774\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_013-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_013-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_Gilroy-ICE_GH_013-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A demonstrator holds an “ICE Out” sign near the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building during an “ICE Out of Gilroy” rally in San José on Sept. 8, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said that the agency has more than doubled its workforce and needs additional space. The agency maintains that its current offices about 10 miles north of Gilroy in Morgan Hill are insufficient, while the property’s lease is expiring soon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Is it really news that when a federal agency hires more personnel that they need more space? Thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill, we have an additional 12,000 ICE officers and agents on the ground across the country,” the DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “That’s a 120% increase in our workforce.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Construction on the facility had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090807/ice-will-pause-construction-on-controversial-south-bay-detention-facility\">been paused\u003c/a> as part of a voluntary agreement between the parties. Lee said she will continue a stay on the project until at least Sept. 15. If she then issues a preliminary injunction, as requested by the county, construction would be temporarily blocked. A final resolution on the case is not expected until after a hearing in October.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The dispute comes as ICE races to expand its detention capacity, after Congress approved $115 billion for immigration enforcement nationwide since July 2025. The Trump administration has increasingly locked up more immigrants fighting deportation, holding more than 65,000 at more than 200 facilities across the country, according to ICE’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.ice.gov/detain/detention-management#stats\">latest figures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "medi-cal-wont-pay-for-assisted-living-in-most-of-california-one-brother-fought-back",
"title": "Medi-Cal Won’t Pay for Assisted Living in Most of California. One Brother Fought Back",
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"headTitle": "Medi-Cal Won’t Pay for Assisted Living in Most of California. One Brother Fought Back | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/whatmatters\">WhatMatters\u003c/a> to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues in the Golden State.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last summer, siblings Roselie and John Aiello decided it was time for Roselie to leave her home of 73 years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Raised on a cattle ranch in the small town of Mount Shasta, Roselie spent her life working as a butcher and handling animals, assisting her father until his death. When her three brothers moved away, she stayed at home on the ranch, with its winding dirt roads and green pastures. But over the years, the hard manual labor left her bones weak and her back curved, slowing her pace. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>John moved back to the ranch in far \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/northern-california\">Northern California\u003c/a> to take care of Roselie, who needed some assistance with showering and getting dressed. But these tasks began to weigh on John as he balanced his career as a writer with tending to the land, which was getting more difficult for Roselie to navigate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The two siblings made a decision: Roselie, who qualified for Medicaid, would move into assisted living. John would find an appropriate place for her to live and receive care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But when John tried to apply for assisted living benefits on his sister’s behalf, he found that Medi-Cal — California’s version of Medicaid — does not offer a waiver to pay for assisted living care in Siskiyou County, nor does it in 42 others across the state. Only \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/long-term-care-alternatives-home-and-community-based-service-options/assisted-living-waiver/\">15 California counties\u003c/a>, most of them urban, offer this option.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This has created geographic disparity that gives aging adults in urban areas more options for care than those in rural areas, pushing Northern California seniors like Roselie Aiello into nursing homes or out of their communities, not because they need that level of care, but because they can’t afford to pay out of pocket for assisted living. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You’re wasting money by dumping somebody like my sister in a skilled nursing facility and lessening her quality of life and her chance at doing better,” John said. “By doing this, it makes no fundamental sense.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12098658\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Roselie Aiello at Sundial Assisted Living in Shasta County on March 25, 2026. \u003cbr> (Jessica Blough for CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12098659\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098659\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Roselie Aiello at Sundial Assisted Living in Shasta County on March 25, 2026. (Jessica Blough for CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the coming decade, many more Californians may face the same predicament, given that one in four will be older than 60. As the state prepares for this explosion in the older adult population, it is prioritizing the ability to age in community-based settings like homes or assisted living facilities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But availability of assisted living options varies county to county and is based on decisions by the various managed care providers contracted to deliver healthcare to the state’s lowest-income residents.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s not a lot of options to begin with in rural counties. You take (the assisted living waiver) off a table, which already has a history of a long waiting list, and the options are pretty bleak,” said Maura Gibney, executive director of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr />\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/PCZuA/\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Partnership HealthPlan, which Roselie Aiello is enrolled in, contracts with the state to provide coverage to almost a million Californians on Medi-Cal, making it the largest Medi-Cal managed care plan in Northern California. It is the only Medi-Cal managed care plan available in a separate set of 15 California counties. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Managed care providers are encouraged, but not required, to offer as many “\u003ca href=\"https://calaim.dhcs.ca.gov/pages/community-supports\">community supports\u003c/a>” as they can, Tessa Outhyse, a spokesperson for the California Department of Health Care Services, said in an email. CalAIM, the state’s multiyear initiative to overhaul Medi-Cal, includes community supports such as assistance transitioning to an assisted living facility as well as transitional rent, caregiver respite and personal care services. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These services are intended to offer healthcare options to Medi-Cal members before their conditions escalate to needing more serious care, therefore saving money. Even when CalAIM’s current waivers expire at the end of the year, the community supports benefits will continue through the managed care plans. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When determining which supports to offer, managed care plans take into consideration provider availability and local capacity to offer care, Outhyse said. Partnership chose not to offer assisted living support based on financial factors and a lack of appropriate facilities in the rural areas where it provides care, said Dustin Lyda, spokesperson for the organization. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lyda said any change in what the organization offers would require proof that assisted living facilities would be safer and healthier for members than nursing homes. But he acknowledged that options are more limited for rural members. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s definitely a lot more work that we need to do on our end to navigate the more rural areas,” Lyda said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"hitting-roadblocks\">Hitting roadblocks\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When John Aiello heard about assisted living benefits through Medi-Cal, he saw it as the perfect match for his sister’s needs. He knew that he likely would have to move her out of Siskiyou County, where there was only one facility for Medi-Cal recipients, a nursing home.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Roselie had spent some time at an assisted living facility in neighboring Shasta County, which they saw as a better fit. But Partnership didn’t offer assisted living as a community support in that county. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, the provider offered Roselie a waiver to go into assisted living in Sonoma County, which is about five hours from her home. The Aiellos turned that down, thinking it would not be good for Roselie. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you remove her totally from a family contact, she would not be thriving right now. She needs to see family,” John Aiello said. “When there were resources available that fit her needs in Redding — that’s the closest point to her home county — why do I need to move her to Oakland, to Los Angeles, to San Diego?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the course of nine months, John sent dozens of emails and spent hours on phone calls to get Partnership HealthPlan to cover Roselie’s placement in assisted living. He had the support of her doctor and a spot for Roselie at the residence in Shasta County. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The process was so intense and frustrating that it drove a wedge between him and his sister in their final months of living together. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He was doing all of this to help me,” Roselie said. “Where was it going to end?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"encouraged-or-required\">Encouraged or required? \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Most people prefer community-based services over skilled nursing care, which is \u003ca href=\"https://heller.brandeis.edu/community-living-policy/research-policy/publications/pdfs/briefs/hcbs-improve-outcomes-and-reduce-costs.pdf\">generally more expensive\u003c/a>. But nursing home beds are in short supply and should be reserved for those who truly need them, Gibney said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We really try to help people look at the other options that exist for remaining in the community,” Gibney said. “You’re going to have better health outcomes, better quality of care, if you can stay in the community and out of an institutional setting.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Research indicates that while assisted living may provide better outcomes for some, people in assisted living are more likely than nursing home residents to be hospitalized, which can drive up costs, said Dr. Kenneth Lam, a geriatrician and assistant professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The evidence suggests that it’s a trade-off,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Contracts for managed care plans are not competitively bid, Outhyse said. And potential contractors aren’t asked to include specific community supports, such as assisted living, in their managed care plans.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Whether a plan chooses to provide specific community supports is not a factor in contract renewal, which focuses instead on overall compliance with state and federal performance standards,” Outhyse wrote in the email.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Partnership’s contract with the state was set to expire in December, but will be extended until 2029 because the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/Pages/ManagedCarePlanProcurementUpdate.aspx\">delayed\u003c/a> the process of soliciting managed care contracts. Lyda said Partnership is facing increasing demand for its community supports — which mainly address social needs, such as housing and food security — and for assisted living benefits. But even people in counties where the managed care provider offers an assisted living benefit can have a long wait for placement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After years of constant increases, the number of Californians receiving an assisted living waiver for the first time dropped at the beginning of 2025, though the waitlist continued to climb. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By September, the number of Californians waiting for a waiver had surpassed the number of people who were being supported by it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr />\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/kH9D7\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gibney said that Medi-Cal members are often encouraged to get on the waitlist before applying for assisted living funding, which could contribute to the long wait. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Older adults might spend months on a waitlist, only to be told that they are ineligible for assisted living coverage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s a lot of shifting sand, that’s what people are finding themselves in the middle of,” Lam said. “They’re being told that they get to choose, but it’s a complex choice.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a-new-home\">A new home\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In March, Roselie moved into her new home, Sundial Assisted Living, the Shasta County facility where she had previously spent some time. Two months earlier, Partnership had informed the Aiellos that it would cover Roselie’s assisted living care. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Partnership offered Roselie early access to a pilot program that launched on July 1, which extends the assisted living options to select members of the network. There will be no open application process, but members can ask to be considered or referred through a healthcare provider. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The goal is to discover if offering the assisted living option will provide better health outcomes at a lower price.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Success would also be having these individuals being able to continue to receive care within their community setting, being in their home,” Lyda said. “We know that that is more impactful to health than being completely taken out of a familiar area.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The adjustment has not been easy for Roselie. She has been hospitalized twice since she moved to Sundial and briefly entered a nursing home. \u003cs> \u003c/s>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Socially, things have gone better. Roselie has made friends and is often called on to teach card games to her fellow Sundial residents. While she was hospitalized, her neighbors and caretakers at Sundial visited her. She’s grateful to John for navigating through red tape to get her here. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m looking at it like this: It’s a new adventure,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>John worries about his sister’s health issues and whether Sundial will be a long-term solution for her. He’s gratified that his fight ended with his sister’s placement in their chosen facility. But he resents having to wage the battle.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I don’t understand why I was the guy fighting for everybody,” John said. “I’m just one person trying to support myself, trying to take care of a family member.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jessica Blough reported on this story while with the\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://journalism.berkeley.edu/programs/mj/investigative-reporting/\">\u003cem>Investigative Reporting Program\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>at UC Berkeley Journalism School, with a grant from\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.thescanfoundation.org/\">\u003cem>The SCAN Foundation\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This has created geographic disparity that gives aging adults in urban areas more options for care than those in rural areas, pushing Northern California seniors like Roselie Aiello into nursing homes or out of their communities, not because they need that level of care, but because they can’t afford to pay out of pocket for assisted living. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the coming decade, many more Californians may face the same predicament, given that one in four will be older than 60. As the state prepares for this explosion in the older adult population, it is prioritizing the ability to age in community-based settings like homes or assisted living facilities. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s not a lot of options to begin with in rural counties. You take (the assisted living waiver) off a table, which already has a history of a long waiting list, and the options are pretty bleak,” said Maura Gibney, executive director of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Partnership HealthPlan, which Roselie Aiello is enrolled in, contracts with the state to provide coverage to almost a million Californians on Medi-Cal, making it the largest Medi-Cal managed care plan in Northern California. It is the only Medi-Cal managed care plan available in a separate set of 15 California counties. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Managed care providers are encouraged, but not required, to offer as many “\u003ca href=\"https://calaim.dhcs.ca.gov/pages/community-supports\">community supports\u003c/a>” as they can, Tessa Outhyse, a spokesperson for the California Department of Health Care Services, said in an email. CalAIM, the state’s multiyear initiative to overhaul Medi-Cal, includes community supports such as assistance transitioning to an assisted living facility as well as transitional rent, caregiver respite and personal care services. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When determining which supports to offer, managed care plans take into consideration provider availability and local capacity to offer care, Outhyse said. Partnership chose not to offer assisted living support based on financial factors and a lack of appropriate facilities in the rural areas where it provides care, said Dustin Lyda, spokesperson for the organization. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lyda said any change in what the organization offers would require proof that assisted living facilities would be safer and healthier for members than nursing homes. But he acknowledged that options are more limited for rural members. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s definitely a lot more work that we need to do on our end to navigate the more rural areas,” Lyda said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When John Aiello heard about assisted living benefits through Medi-Cal, he saw it as the perfect match for his sister’s needs. He knew that he likely would have to move her out of Siskiyou County, where there was only one facility for Medi-Cal recipients, a nursing home.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Roselie had spent some time at an assisted living facility in neighboring Shasta County, which they saw as a better fit. But Partnership didn’t offer assisted living as a community support in that county. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Instead, the provider offered Roselie a waiver to go into assisted living in Sonoma County, which is about five hours from her home. The Aiellos turned that down, thinking it would not be good for Roselie. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If you remove her totally from a family contact, she would not be thriving right now. She needs to see family,” John Aiello said. “When there were resources available that fit her needs in Redding — that’s the closest point to her home county — why do I need to move her to Oakland, to Los Angeles, to San Diego?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Over the course of nine months, John sent dozens of emails and spent hours on phone calls to get Partnership HealthPlan to cover Roselie’s placement in assisted living. He had the support of her doctor and a spot for Roselie at the residence in Shasta County. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Over the course of nine months, John sent dozens of emails and spent hours on phone calls to get Partnership HealthPlan to cover Roselie’s placement in assisted living. He had the support of her doctor and a spot for Roselie at the residence in Shasta County. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“He was doing all of this to help me,” Roselie said. “Where was it going to end?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Most people prefer community-based services over skilled nursing care, which is \u003ca href=\"https://heller.brandeis.edu/community-living-policy/research-policy/publications/pdfs/briefs/hcbs-improve-outcomes-and-reduce-costs.pdf\">generally more expensive\u003c/a>. But nursing home beds are in short supply and should be reserved for those who truly need them, Gibney said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Most people prefer community-based services over skilled nursing care, which is \u003ca href=\"https://heller.brandeis.edu/community-living-policy/research-policy/publications/pdfs/briefs/hcbs-improve-outcomes-and-reduce-costs.pdf\">generally more expensive\u003c/a>. But nursing home beds are in short supply and should be reserved for those who truly need them, Gibney said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We really try to help people look at the other options that exist for remaining in the community,” Gibney said. “You’re going to have better health outcomes, better quality of care, if you can stay in the community and out of an institutional setting.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We really try to help people look at the other options that exist for remaining in the community,” Gibney said. “You’re going to have better health outcomes, better quality of care, if you can stay in the community and out of an institutional setting.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Research indicates that while assisted living may provide better outcomes for some, people in assisted living are more likely than nursing home residents to be hospitalized, which can drive up costs, said Dr. Kenneth Lam, a geriatrician and assistant professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Contracts for managed care plans are not competitively bid, Outhyse said. And potential contractors aren’t asked to include specific community supports, such as assisted living, in their managed care plans.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Whether a plan chooses to provide specific community supports is not a factor in contract renewal, which focuses instead on overall compliance with state and federal performance standards,” Outhyse wrote in the email.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Partnership’s contract with the state was set to expire in December, but will be extended until 2029 because the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/Pages/ManagedCarePlanProcurementUpdate.aspx\">delayed\u003c/a> the process of soliciting managed care contracts. Lyda said Partnership is facing increasing demand for its community supports — which mainly address social needs, such as housing and food security — and for assisted living benefits. But even people in counties where the managed care provider offers an assisted living benefit can have a long wait for placement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Partnership’s contract with the state was set to expire in December, but will be extended until 2029 because the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/Pages/ManagedCarePlanProcurementUpdate.aspx\">delayed\u003c/a> the process of soliciting managed care contracts. Lyda said Partnership is facing increasing demand for its community supports — which mainly address social needs, such as housing and food security — and for assisted living benefits. But even people in counties where the managed care provider offers an assisted living benefit can have a long wait for placement. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After years of constant increases, the number of Californians receiving an assisted living waiver for the first time dropped at the beginning of 2025, though the waitlist continued to climb. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Gibney said that Medi-Cal members are often encouraged to get on the waitlist before applying for assisted living funding, which could contribute to the long wait. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In March, Roselie moved into her new home, Sundial Assisted Living, the Shasta County facility where she had previously spent some time. Two months earlier, Partnership had informed the Aiellos that it would cover Roselie’s assisted living care. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Partnership offered Roselie early access to a pilot program that launched on July 1, which extends the assisted living options to select members of the network. There will be no open application process, but members can ask to be considered or referred through a healthcare provider. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Success would also be having these individuals being able to continue to receive care within their community setting, being in their home,” Lyda said. “We know that that is more impactful to health than being completely taken out of a familiar area.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Socially, things have gone better. Roselie has made friends and is often called on to teach card games to her fellow Sundial residents. While she was hospitalized, her neighbors and caretakers at Sundial visited her. She’s grateful to John for navigating through red tape to get her here. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>John worries about his sister’s health issues and whether Sundial will be a long-term solution for her. He’s gratified that his fight ended with his sister’s placement in their chosen facility. But he resents having to wage the battle.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jessica Blough reported on this story while with the\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://journalism.berkeley.edu/programs/mj/investigative-reporting/\">\u003cem>Investigative Reporting Program\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>at UC Berkeley Journalism School, with a grant from\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.thescanfoundation.org/\">\u003cem>The SCAN Foundation\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A pilot program providing more assisted living coverage in rural California has emerged from one man’s fight to change his sister’s options.",
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"title": "Medi-Cal Won’t Pay for Assisted Living in Most of California. One Brother Fought Back | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/whatmatters\">WhatMatters\u003c/a> to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues in the Golden State.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last summer, siblings Roselie and John Aiello decided it was time for Roselie to leave her home of 73 years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Raised on a cattle ranch in the small town of Mount Shasta, Roselie spent her life working as a butcher and handling animals, assisting her father until his death. When her three brothers moved away, she stayed at home on the ranch, with its winding dirt roads and green pastures. But over the years, the hard manual labor left her bones weak and her back curved, slowing her pace. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>John moved back to the ranch in far \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/northern-california\">Northern California\u003c/a> to take care of Roselie, who needed some assistance with showering and getting dressed. But these tasks began to weigh on John as he balanced his career as a writer with tending to the land, which was getting more difficult for Roselie to navigate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The two siblings made a decision: Roselie, who qualified for Medicaid, would move into assisted living. John would find an appropriate place for her to live and receive care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But when John tried to apply for assisted living benefits on his sister’s behalf, he found that Medi-Cal — California’s version of Medicaid — does not offer a waiver to pay for assisted living care in Siskiyou County, nor does it in 42 others across the state. Only \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/long-term-care-alternatives-home-and-community-based-service-options/assisted-living-waiver/\">15 California counties\u003c/a>, most of them urban, offer this option.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This has created geographic disparity that gives aging adults in urban areas more options for care than those in rural areas, pushing Northern California seniors like Roselie Aiello into nursing homes or out of their communities, not because they need that level of care, but because they can’t afford to pay out of pocket for assisted living. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You’re wasting money by dumping somebody like my sister in a skilled nursing facility and lessening her quality of life and her chance at doing better,” John said. “By doing this, it makes no fundamental sense.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12098658\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Roselie Aiello at Sundial Assisted Living in Shasta County on March 25, 2026. \u003cbr> (Jessica Blough for CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12098659\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098659\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/CMHealthCare3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Roselie Aiello at Sundial Assisted Living in Shasta County on March 25, 2026. (Jessica Blough for CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the coming decade, many more Californians may face the same predicament, given that one in four will be older than 60. As the state prepares for this explosion in the older adult population, it is prioritizing the ability to age in community-based settings like homes or assisted living facilities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But availability of assisted living options varies county to county and is based on decisions by the various managed care providers contracted to deliver healthcare to the state’s lowest-income residents.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s not a lot of options to begin with in rural counties. You take (the assisted living waiver) off a table, which already has a history of a long waiting list, and the options are pretty bleak,” said Maura Gibney, executive director of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr />\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/PCZuA/\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Partnership HealthPlan, which Roselie Aiello is enrolled in, contracts with the state to provide coverage to almost a million Californians on Medi-Cal, making it the largest Medi-Cal managed care plan in Northern California. It is the only Medi-Cal managed care plan available in a separate set of 15 California counties. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Managed care providers are encouraged, but not required, to offer as many “\u003ca href=\"https://calaim.dhcs.ca.gov/pages/community-supports\">community supports\u003c/a>” as they can, Tessa Outhyse, a spokesperson for the California Department of Health Care Services, said in an email. CalAIM, the state’s multiyear initiative to overhaul Medi-Cal, includes community supports such as assistance transitioning to an assisted living facility as well as transitional rent, caregiver respite and personal care services. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These services are intended to offer healthcare options to Medi-Cal members before their conditions escalate to needing more serious care, therefore saving money. Even when CalAIM’s current waivers expire at the end of the year, the community supports benefits will continue through the managed care plans. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When determining which supports to offer, managed care plans take into consideration provider availability and local capacity to offer care, Outhyse said. Partnership chose not to offer assisted living support based on financial factors and a lack of appropriate facilities in the rural areas where it provides care, said Dustin Lyda, spokesperson for the organization. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lyda said any change in what the organization offers would require proof that assisted living facilities would be safer and healthier for members than nursing homes. But he acknowledged that options are more limited for rural members. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s definitely a lot more work that we need to do on our end to navigate the more rural areas,” Lyda said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"hitting-roadblocks\">Hitting roadblocks\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When John Aiello heard about assisted living benefits through Medi-Cal, he saw it as the perfect match for his sister’s needs. He knew that he likely would have to move her out of Siskiyou County, where there was only one facility for Medi-Cal recipients, a nursing home.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Roselie had spent some time at an assisted living facility in neighboring Shasta County, which they saw as a better fit. But Partnership didn’t offer assisted living as a community support in that county. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, the provider offered Roselie a waiver to go into assisted living in Sonoma County, which is about five hours from her home. The Aiellos turned that down, thinking it would not be good for Roselie. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you remove her totally from a family contact, she would not be thriving right now. She needs to see family,” John Aiello said. “When there were resources available that fit her needs in Redding — that’s the closest point to her home county — why do I need to move her to Oakland, to Los Angeles, to San Diego?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the course of nine months, John sent dozens of emails and spent hours on phone calls to get Partnership HealthPlan to cover Roselie’s placement in assisted living. He had the support of her doctor and a spot for Roselie at the residence in Shasta County. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The process was so intense and frustrating that it drove a wedge between him and his sister in their final months of living together. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He was doing all of this to help me,” Roselie said. “Where was it going to end?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"encouraged-or-required\">Encouraged or required? \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Most people prefer community-based services over skilled nursing care, which is \u003ca href=\"https://heller.brandeis.edu/community-living-policy/research-policy/publications/pdfs/briefs/hcbs-improve-outcomes-and-reduce-costs.pdf\">generally more expensive\u003c/a>. But nursing home beds are in short supply and should be reserved for those who truly need them, Gibney said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We really try to help people look at the other options that exist for remaining in the community,” Gibney said. “You’re going to have better health outcomes, better quality of care, if you can stay in the community and out of an institutional setting.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Research indicates that while assisted living may provide better outcomes for some, people in assisted living are more likely than nursing home residents to be hospitalized, which can drive up costs, said Dr. Kenneth Lam, a geriatrician and assistant professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The evidence suggests that it’s a trade-off,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Contracts for managed care plans are not competitively bid, Outhyse said. And potential contractors aren’t asked to include specific community supports, such as assisted living, in their managed care plans.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Whether a plan chooses to provide specific community supports is not a factor in contract renewal, which focuses instead on overall compliance with state and federal performance standards,” Outhyse wrote in the email.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Partnership’s contract with the state was set to expire in December, but will be extended until 2029 because the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/Pages/ManagedCarePlanProcurementUpdate.aspx\">delayed\u003c/a> the process of soliciting managed care contracts. Lyda said Partnership is facing increasing demand for its community supports — which mainly address social needs, such as housing and food security — and for assisted living benefits. But even people in counties where the managed care provider offers an assisted living benefit can have a long wait for placement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After years of constant increases, the number of Californians receiving an assisted living waiver for the first time dropped at the beginning of 2025, though the waitlist continued to climb. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By September, the number of Californians waiting for a waiver had surpassed the number of people who were being supported by it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr />\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/kH9D7\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gibney said that Medi-Cal members are often encouraged to get on the waitlist before applying for assisted living funding, which could contribute to the long wait. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Older adults might spend months on a waitlist, only to be told that they are ineligible for assisted living coverage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s a lot of shifting sand, that’s what people are finding themselves in the middle of,” Lam said. “They’re being told that they get to choose, but it’s a complex choice.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a-new-home\">A new home\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In March, Roselie moved into her new home, Sundial Assisted Living, the Shasta County facility where she had previously spent some time. Two months earlier, Partnership had informed the Aiellos that it would cover Roselie’s assisted living care. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Partnership offered Roselie early access to a pilot program that launched on July 1, which extends the assisted living options to select members of the network. There will be no open application process, but members can ask to be considered or referred through a healthcare provider. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The goal is to discover if offering the assisted living option will provide better health outcomes at a lower price.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Success would also be having these individuals being able to continue to receive care within their community setting, being in their home,” Lyda said. “We know that that is more impactful to health than being completely taken out of a familiar area.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The adjustment has not been easy for Roselie. She has been hospitalized twice since she moved to Sundial and briefly entered a nursing home. \u003cs> \u003c/s>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Socially, things have gone better. Roselie has made friends and is often called on to teach card games to her fellow Sundial residents. While she was hospitalized, her neighbors and caretakers at Sundial visited her. She’s grateful to John for navigating through red tape to get her here. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m looking at it like this: It’s a new adventure,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>John worries about his sister’s health issues and whether Sundial will be a long-term solution for her. He’s gratified that his fight ended with his sister’s placement in their chosen facility. But he resents having to wage the battle.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I don’t understand why I was the guy fighting for everybody,” John said. “I’m just one person trying to support myself, trying to take care of a family member.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jessica Blough reported on this story while with the\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://journalism.berkeley.edu/programs/mj/investigative-reporting/\">\u003cem>Investigative Reporting Program\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>at UC Berkeley Journalism School, with a grant from\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.thescanfoundation.org/\">\u003cem>The SCAN Foundation\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071216/san-francisco-mountain-lion-is-tranquilized-as-officials-work-to-capture-the-cougar\">\u003cem>Another \u003c/em>mountain lion \u003c/a>has been spotted roaming the streets of San Francisco — this time, an animal sighted Saturday around the Panhandle near Golden Gate Park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a Monday statement from \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/SanFranciscoACC/posts/pfbid02irUsLZxfCMeCQP9dc4MKVyp7L2ha4KzRF7DYP28aF3CFURtT84CyGW2msjWhN9TAl\">San Francisco Animal Care and Control, city\u003c/a> authorities monitored the area of Fell and Baker streets through the weekend after a resident saw the mountain lion climb a tree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency said on Monday that the big cat was able to “leave the scene peacefully” of its own accord — and that it’s actually “common for mountain lions to visit San Francisco.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This latest sighting — in an urban setting — might have you wondering: “How exactly \u003cem>should \u003c/em>I react if I see a mountain lion?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Encountering a mountain lion up close\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Two decades ago, Zara McDonald was on a run in Marin near \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997579/bay-area-hikes-views-clouds-marine-inversion-layer\">Mount Tamalpais\u003c/a> around dusk when a mountain lion suddenly appeared above her, just 5 feet away — and stared at her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its eyes then fixed on something behind her, and the mountain lion disappeared back into the bushes. When she turned around, she saw three deer on the hillside behind her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I felt really small,” said McDonald, a biologist and researcher who’s now the founder and president of the \u003ca href=\"https://bapp.org/\">Bay Area Puma Project\u003c/a>, a local wild cat research and conservation organization that’s part of the \u003ca href=\"https://felidaefund.org/\">Felidae Conservation Fund\u003c/a>. “I disrupted his opportunity to get a meal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#avoid-mountain-lions\">How to avoid mountain lions — and what to do if you see one\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>And while she had fears, “he was not a threat,” she said. Rather, “I left feeling like I was an intruder.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For McDonald, this experience back in the early 2000s was “transformative” in how she saw humans’ relationship to nature. Now, her organization has around \u003ca href=\"https://bapp.org/our-work/remote-cameras\">200 cameras placed around the Bay Area\u003c/a> that collect data on mountain lion movement. The project also \u003ca href=\"https://bapp.org/updates/updates/bay-area-puma-project/scat-field-work-2024\">studies their fecal matter\u003c/a> for information on genetics and overall population health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052071\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/Coe01_Sep-9-2023_puma-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052071\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/Coe01_Sep-9-2023_puma-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/Coe01_Sep-9-2023_puma-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/Coe01_Sep-9-2023_puma-2000x1125.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/Coe01_Sep-9-2023_puma-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/Coe01_Sep-9-2023_puma-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/Coe01_Sep-9-2023_puma-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A mountain lion stares into a wildlife camera on Sept. 9, 2023. \u003ccite>(Photo by Felidae Conservation Fund/Bay Area Puma Project)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The mountain lion is the second-largest cat in all of North America and is native to the Bay Area. While you may have never seen one, \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Mountain-Lion#632445330-statewide-integrated-population-modeling\">40% of the state is considered suitable for mountain lion habitat,\u003c/a> making it likely that these elusive animals are around hiking trails or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897584/here-kitty-kitty-that-mountain-lion-spotted-in-bernal-heights-has-been-captured\">areas you might already be frequenting.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mountain lions are \u003ca href=\"https://www.britannica.com/science/apex-predator\">apex predators\u003c/a>, but experts say, for the most part, they just want to do their own thing. \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Mountain-Lion#632445330-statewide-integrated-population-modeling\">According to the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife\u003c/a>, there have been only 26 total verified mountain lion attacks on humans in California in the last four decades — and four deaths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how common are these animals, really? And how afraid should you be of them?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Education is our best tool for preventing conflict,” McDonald said. “When people understand mountain lion behavior, fear turns into respect. And respect is the foundation of coexistence.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How do I know it’s a mountain lion?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You should know: \u003ca href=\"https://felidaefund.org/news/general/mistaken-mountain-lion-sightings-have-major-consequences\">upwards of 90% of all “mountain lion sightings” in California are not actually mountain lions\u003c/a>. And there are only about 3,200 to 4,500 lions across the entire state, said Mairan Smith, a CDFW unit biologist for the Bay Delta region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, they’re often confused for \u003ca href=\"https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/bobcat\">bobcats \u003c/a>or stray domestic cats. But an actual mountain lion will be:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/where-to-go/nature/mountain-lions\">Much larger\u003c/a>, with adult males reaching around 8 feet long and up to 150 pounds.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Gray, brown or tan in color with black-tipped ears.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Likely \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Mountain-Lion#632445330-statewide-integrated-population-modeling\">traveling alone.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCIOIbRtAWs\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Where am I most likely to see a mountain lion?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Smith said they thrive in redwood forests, brushland and mountain environments — all of which are habitats found in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the animals can live almost everywhere in the state, most people who report sightings are closer to the rural-urban divide, she said — not only because these areas are more likely to be their habitat, but also because they’re often a source of livestock or other food.[aside postID=news_12042615 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/E.-CSL-Quly-left-and-Togozees_release_8-4-23_photo-by-Bill-Hunnewell-%C2%A9-The-Marine-Mammal-Center-2-1020x754.jpg']Mountain lions are predators, and their main prey is deer. “Wherever deer move, lions are going to follow,” McDonald said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For food or other resources, they will travel across large territories — up to around 200 square miles for males, which makes places like urban parks, which connect them from area to area, so important, McDonald said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mountain lions are really trying to figure out how to get that space they need so they can move through it safely and reproduce,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given this movement, conservation experts want to keep populations of mountain lions connected — and join currently siloed groups to one another. John Benson, associate professor of Vertebrate Ecology at the University of Nebraska’s School of Natural Resources, is \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Mountain-Lion#632445330-statewide-integrated-population-modeling\">studying population dynamics of mountain lions across California\u003c/a> to better “understand what we can do from a conservation perspective to get more connectivity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benson said the waters of the San Francisco Bay itself — \u003ca href=\"https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2688-8319.12093#:~:text=Our%20results%20indicate%20that%20mountain,human%20activity%20on%20the%20landscape.\">as well as human infrastructure like housing development and roads\u003c/a> — all play a role in dividing up populations in the Bay Area. And as mountain lions travel from one open space area to another, \u003ca href=\"https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2025.1013\">this may raise your chances of running into a mountain lion. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as mountain lions and human development share more of the same space, the danger to these animals increases. \u003ca href=\"https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/mountain-lion-mortality-maps-show-rough-road-cougars\">One of the leading causes of mountain lion mortalities is being struck by a car, McDonald said.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mountain lions still live in the Bay Area and move through the Bay Area because we’ve preserved enough habitat to support them,” she said. “But along with that privilege comes the responsibility to coexist.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McDonald called it a common misconception that mountain lions are becoming more adapted to humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YW3ESNuGWY\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re seeing more mountain lion activity near urban edges — not because they’re changing but because we are, and development is pushing deeper into their habitat,” McDonald said. “It’s really just survival instinct for them. It’s not anything to do with humans — it’s in \u003cem>spite \u003c/em>of humans that they’re going into these areas.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How can I avoid \u003ca id=\"avoid-mountain-lions\">\u003c/a>mountain lion encounters altogether?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Around your home\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While attacks on humans by mountain lions are extremely rare, they are nonetheless “a risk to outdoor pets and livestock,” Smith said. “It’s really important to keep your pets inside.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That goes for outdoor cats and unsupervised dogs in yards as well as livestock like goats and sheep, she said — advising you keep them fully enclosed at night or consider other methods of safeguarding them, like a \u003ca href=\"https://monocounty.ca.gov/animal/page/livestock-protection-dogs\">livestock guardian dog\u003c/a> or noise deterrents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052075\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE06A_2024Feb12_puma3-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052075\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE06A_2024Feb12_puma3-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1448\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE06A_2024Feb12_puma3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE06A_2024Feb12_puma3-2000x1131.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE06A_2024Feb12_puma3-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE06A_2024Feb12_puma3-1536x869.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE06A_2024Feb12_puma3-2048x1158.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A puma passes by a wildlife camera on March 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Video by Felidae Conservation Fund/ Bay Area Puma Project)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Anywhere in the Bay Area, if you have livestock, it’s something you should probably be thinking about,” Smith said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can also clear brush around your property or install lights if you’re worried about hiding spots for mountain lions, Smith said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you feed stray cats that approach your home, Smith said that the food you leave out can also attract deer, and mountain lions may follow as they hunt their prey — the food itself might tempt them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mountain lions will come up and eat cat food off of people’s porches,” Smith said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for the most part, “the last thing most [mountain lions] want to do is encounter us,” Benson said. “In general, they do an excellent job of staying away from people and avoiding areas where they think they’re likely to run into people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>On the trail\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re concerned about running into a mountain lion while walking or hiking on a trail, remember that they’re nocturnal and crepuscular animals — meaning they are most active at night and during the sunset and sunrise hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This means that you can avoid being out on the trail altogether at those times — or allay your fears by traveling in pairs on trails if you know you’re in an area they inhabit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mountain lions also tend to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/yoursafety_mountainlions.htm\">stick to densely vegetated areas\u003c/a>. So if you’re worried about stumbling upon one, head to a more open area.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What to do if you see a mountain lion\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If the mountain lion is still some distance from you, and you think they haven’t yet noticed you, “you could just sort of quietly slip away,” Benson said.[aside postID=news_12050823 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/Armstrong-Redwoods-1.png']But if the mountain lion has indeed spotted you, remember: “The last thing you want to do is run or show fear,” Benson said. Stand your ground, he said, and look as big as possible. If you have a dog or child with you, you can pick them up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you have a backpack, you can put that over your head to make yourself seem a bit bigger,” he said. If the mountain lion is advancing toward you, you can even throw rocks or sticks at it, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are certainly a lot of stories out there of people that successfully were able to fight the mountain lion off.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in general, remember: mountain lion attacks — especially fatal ones — are extremely rare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052047\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052047\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE01A_2023Nov12_puma-kittens4-scaled-e1755118173322.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mountain lion kittens are caught on wildlife cameras on Nov. 12, 2023. \u003ccite>( Felidae Conservation Fund/Bay Area Puma Project)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The most likely thing that will happen is that it will walk away,” Smith said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And remember: Even just seeing a mountain lion is “pretty special,” she said. And if you do, you can report your sighting on the \u003ca href=\"https://apps.wildlife.ca.gov/wir\">CDFW website,\u003c/a> which will be forwarded to a regional biologist for study, and the Bay Area Puma Project’s own \u003ca href=\"https://bapp.org/meet-puma/sightings\">Puma and Bobcat Sightings Map.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeCeDp_MY_h4G6VWj_-VPl-BJlQ3Uya2H0vxRZZd_47BpXwVA/viewform?embedded=true\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/carlysevern\">Carly Severn\u003c/a> contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Mountain lion attacks on humans are extremely rare, but they do happen. Here’s how to steer clear of mountain lions altogether and how to respond in the moment if you do see one.",
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"title": "What to Do if You See a Mountain Lion in the Bay Area | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071216/san-francisco-mountain-lion-is-tranquilized-as-officials-work-to-capture-the-cougar\">\u003cem>Another \u003c/em>mountain lion \u003c/a>has been spotted roaming the streets of San Francisco — this time, an animal sighted Saturday around the Panhandle near Golden Gate Park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a Monday statement from \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/SanFranciscoACC/posts/pfbid02irUsLZxfCMeCQP9dc4MKVyp7L2ha4KzRF7DYP28aF3CFURtT84CyGW2msjWhN9TAl\">San Francisco Animal Care and Control, city\u003c/a> authorities monitored the area of Fell and Baker streets through the weekend after a resident saw the mountain lion climb a tree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency said on Monday that the big cat was able to “leave the scene peacefully” of its own accord — and that it’s actually “common for mountain lions to visit San Francisco.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This latest sighting — in an urban setting — might have you wondering: “How exactly \u003cem>should \u003c/em>I react if I see a mountain lion?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Encountering a mountain lion up close\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Two decades ago, Zara McDonald was on a run in Marin near \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997579/bay-area-hikes-views-clouds-marine-inversion-layer\">Mount Tamalpais\u003c/a> around dusk when a mountain lion suddenly appeared above her, just 5 feet away — and stared at her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its eyes then fixed on something behind her, and the mountain lion disappeared back into the bushes. When she turned around, she saw three deer on the hillside behind her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I felt really small,” said McDonald, a biologist and researcher who’s now the founder and president of the \u003ca href=\"https://bapp.org/\">Bay Area Puma Project\u003c/a>, a local wild cat research and conservation organization that’s part of the \u003ca href=\"https://felidaefund.org/\">Felidae Conservation Fund\u003c/a>. “I disrupted his opportunity to get a meal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#avoid-mountain-lions\">How to avoid mountain lions — and what to do if you see one\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>And while she had fears, “he was not a threat,” she said. Rather, “I left feeling like I was an intruder.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For McDonald, this experience back in the early 2000s was “transformative” in how she saw humans’ relationship to nature. Now, her organization has around \u003ca href=\"https://bapp.org/our-work/remote-cameras\">200 cameras placed around the Bay Area\u003c/a> that collect data on mountain lion movement. The project also \u003ca href=\"https://bapp.org/updates/updates/bay-area-puma-project/scat-field-work-2024\">studies their fecal matter\u003c/a> for information on genetics and overall population health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052071\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/Coe01_Sep-9-2023_puma-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052071\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/Coe01_Sep-9-2023_puma-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/Coe01_Sep-9-2023_puma-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/Coe01_Sep-9-2023_puma-2000x1125.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/Coe01_Sep-9-2023_puma-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/Coe01_Sep-9-2023_puma-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/Coe01_Sep-9-2023_puma-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A mountain lion stares into a wildlife camera on Sept. 9, 2023. \u003ccite>(Photo by Felidae Conservation Fund/Bay Area Puma Project)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The mountain lion is the second-largest cat in all of North America and is native to the Bay Area. While you may have never seen one, \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Mountain-Lion#632445330-statewide-integrated-population-modeling\">40% of the state is considered suitable for mountain lion habitat,\u003c/a> making it likely that these elusive animals are around hiking trails or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897584/here-kitty-kitty-that-mountain-lion-spotted-in-bernal-heights-has-been-captured\">areas you might already be frequenting.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mountain lions are \u003ca href=\"https://www.britannica.com/science/apex-predator\">apex predators\u003c/a>, but experts say, for the most part, they just want to do their own thing. \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Mountain-Lion#632445330-statewide-integrated-population-modeling\">According to the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife\u003c/a>, there have been only 26 total verified mountain lion attacks on humans in California in the last four decades — and four deaths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how common are these animals, really? And how afraid should you be of them?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Education is our best tool for preventing conflict,” McDonald said. “When people understand mountain lion behavior, fear turns into respect. And respect is the foundation of coexistence.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How do I know it’s a mountain lion?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You should know: \u003ca href=\"https://felidaefund.org/news/general/mistaken-mountain-lion-sightings-have-major-consequences\">upwards of 90% of all “mountain lion sightings” in California are not actually mountain lions\u003c/a>. And there are only about 3,200 to 4,500 lions across the entire state, said Mairan Smith, a CDFW unit biologist for the Bay Delta region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, they’re often confused for \u003ca href=\"https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/bobcat\">bobcats \u003c/a>or stray domestic cats. But an actual mountain lion will be:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/where-to-go/nature/mountain-lions\">Much larger\u003c/a>, with adult males reaching around 8 feet long and up to 150 pounds.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Gray, brown or tan in color with black-tipped ears.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Likely \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Mountain-Lion#632445330-statewide-integrated-population-modeling\">traveling alone.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/jCIOIbRtAWs'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/jCIOIbRtAWs'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>Where am I most likely to see a mountain lion?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Smith said they thrive in redwood forests, brushland and mountain environments — all of which are habitats found in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the animals can live almost everywhere in the state, most people who report sightings are closer to the rural-urban divide, she said — not only because these areas are more likely to be their habitat, but also because they’re often a source of livestock or other food.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Mountain lions are predators, and their main prey is deer. “Wherever deer move, lions are going to follow,” McDonald said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For food or other resources, they will travel across large territories — up to around 200 square miles for males, which makes places like urban parks, which connect them from area to area, so important, McDonald said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mountain lions are really trying to figure out how to get that space they need so they can move through it safely and reproduce,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given this movement, conservation experts want to keep populations of mountain lions connected — and join currently siloed groups to one another. John Benson, associate professor of Vertebrate Ecology at the University of Nebraska’s School of Natural Resources, is \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Mountain-Lion#632445330-statewide-integrated-population-modeling\">studying population dynamics of mountain lions across California\u003c/a> to better “understand what we can do from a conservation perspective to get more connectivity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benson said the waters of the San Francisco Bay itself — \u003ca href=\"https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2688-8319.12093#:~:text=Our%20results%20indicate%20that%20mountain,human%20activity%20on%20the%20landscape.\">as well as human infrastructure like housing development and roads\u003c/a> — all play a role in dividing up populations in the Bay Area. And as mountain lions travel from one open space area to another, \u003ca href=\"https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2025.1013\">this may raise your chances of running into a mountain lion. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as mountain lions and human development share more of the same space, the danger to these animals increases. \u003ca href=\"https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/mountain-lion-mortality-maps-show-rough-road-cougars\">One of the leading causes of mountain lion mortalities is being struck by a car, McDonald said.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mountain lions still live in the Bay Area and move through the Bay Area because we’ve preserved enough habitat to support them,” she said. “But along with that privilege comes the responsibility to coexist.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McDonald called it a common misconception that mountain lions are becoming more adapted to humans.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/0YW3ESNuGWY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/0YW3ESNuGWY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“We’re seeing more mountain lion activity near urban edges — not because they’re changing but because we are, and development is pushing deeper into their habitat,” McDonald said. “It’s really just survival instinct for them. It’s not anything to do with humans — it’s in \u003cem>spite \u003c/em>of humans that they’re going into these areas.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How can I avoid \u003ca id=\"avoid-mountain-lions\">\u003c/a>mountain lion encounters altogether?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Around your home\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While attacks on humans by mountain lions are extremely rare, they are nonetheless “a risk to outdoor pets and livestock,” Smith said. “It’s really important to keep your pets inside.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That goes for outdoor cats and unsupervised dogs in yards as well as livestock like goats and sheep, she said — advising you keep them fully enclosed at night or consider other methods of safeguarding them, like a \u003ca href=\"https://monocounty.ca.gov/animal/page/livestock-protection-dogs\">livestock guardian dog\u003c/a> or noise deterrents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052075\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE06A_2024Feb12_puma3-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052075\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE06A_2024Feb12_puma3-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1448\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE06A_2024Feb12_puma3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE06A_2024Feb12_puma3-2000x1131.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE06A_2024Feb12_puma3-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE06A_2024Feb12_puma3-1536x869.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE06A_2024Feb12_puma3-2048x1158.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A puma passes by a wildlife camera on March 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Video by Felidae Conservation Fund/ Bay Area Puma Project)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Anywhere in the Bay Area, if you have livestock, it’s something you should probably be thinking about,” Smith said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can also clear brush around your property or install lights if you’re worried about hiding spots for mountain lions, Smith said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you feed stray cats that approach your home, Smith said that the food you leave out can also attract deer, and mountain lions may follow as they hunt their prey — the food itself might tempt them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mountain lions will come up and eat cat food off of people’s porches,” Smith said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for the most part, “the last thing most [mountain lions] want to do is encounter us,” Benson said. “In general, they do an excellent job of staying away from people and avoiding areas where they think they’re likely to run into people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>On the trail\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re concerned about running into a mountain lion while walking or hiking on a trail, remember that they’re nocturnal and crepuscular animals — meaning they are most active at night and during the sunset and sunrise hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This means that you can avoid being out on the trail altogether at those times — or allay your fears by traveling in pairs on trails if you know you’re in an area they inhabit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mountain lions also tend to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/yoursafety_mountainlions.htm\">stick to densely vegetated areas\u003c/a>. So if you’re worried about stumbling upon one, head to a more open area.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What to do if you see a mountain lion\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If the mountain lion is still some distance from you, and you think they haven’t yet noticed you, “you could just sort of quietly slip away,” Benson said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But if the mountain lion has indeed spotted you, remember: “The last thing you want to do is run or show fear,” Benson said. Stand your ground, he said, and look as big as possible. If you have a dog or child with you, you can pick them up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you have a backpack, you can put that over your head to make yourself seem a bit bigger,” he said. If the mountain lion is advancing toward you, you can even throw rocks or sticks at it, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are certainly a lot of stories out there of people that successfully were able to fight the mountain lion off.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in general, remember: mountain lion attacks — especially fatal ones — are extremely rare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052047\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052047\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/COE01A_2023Nov12_puma-kittens4-scaled-e1755118173322.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mountain lion kittens are caught on wildlife cameras on Nov. 12, 2023. \u003ccite>( Felidae Conservation Fund/Bay Area Puma Project)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The most likely thing that will happen is that it will walk away,” Smith said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And remember: Even just seeing a mountain lion is “pretty special,” she said. And if you do, you can report your sighting on the \u003ca href=\"https://apps.wildlife.ca.gov/wir\">CDFW website,\u003c/a> which will be forwarded to a regional biologist for study, and the Bay Area Puma Project’s own \u003ca href=\"https://bapp.org/meet-puma/sightings\">Puma and Bobcat Sightings Map.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe\n src='https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeCeDp_MY_h4G6VWj_-VPl-BJlQ3Uya2H0vxRZZd_47BpXwVA/viewform?embedded=true?embedded=true'\n title='https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeCeDp_MY_h4G6VWj_-VPl-BJlQ3Uya2H0vxRZZd_47BpXwVA/viewform?embedded=true'\n width='760' height='500'\n frameborder='0'\n marginheight='0' marginwidth='0'>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/carlysevern\">Carly Severn\u003c/a> contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "trump-administration-threatens-billions-in-state-welfare-funding",
"title": "Trump Administration Threatens Billions in State Welfare Funding",
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"headTitle": "Trump Administration Threatens Billions in State Welfare Funding | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> is at risk of losing nearly $12 billion in federal funding for public assistance programs after the Trump administration threatened to cut off grants to states unless they report every known unauthorized immigrant to immigration authorities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The threat came in the form of a new legal \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-clarifies-duty-states-report-known-illegal-aliens-under-welfare-reform\">opinion\u003c/a> this month reinterpreting a 1990s welfare-reform law to mean that all agencies in states receiving welfare funding — which is every state in the nation — must report all “individuals known to be not lawfully present” to the federal government or risk losing grants that aid low-income people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s a dramatic reversal from the Clinton-era interpretation of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which said that only state agencies administering the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs needed to provide information to federal immigration authorities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office was defiant in its opposition to the threat.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260116-NewsomLuriePresser-32-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12070630\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260116-NewsomLuriePresser-32-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260116-NewsomLuriePresser-32-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260116-NewsomLuriePresser-32-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference at the Friendship House Association of American Indians in San Francisco on Jan. 16, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is nothing new — Trump has always tried to play cruel games with states that protect working families,” Newsom spokesperson Diana Crofts-Pelayo said. “The courts have repeatedly rejected the Trump administration’s politically motivated attacks on blue states — should the Trump administration move forward, we expect the same here.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>TANF — known in California as CalWORKS — is short-term cash assistance for people in poverty, including \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5057\">nearly 900,000 Californians\u003c/a> as of 2024. SSI provides cash benefits to elderly, blind or disabled people with low incomes, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_sc/2025/ca.pdf\">1.1 million Californians\u003c/a> as of 2025. That’s roughly 2 million Californians benefitted from the two programs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California receives a $3.7 billion annual block grant for TANF and roughly $8 billion a year in SSI funding, according to Ryan Woolsey, a policy analyst at the state Legislative Analyst’s Office. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration said it believes Congress intended for every state agency to report unauthorized immigrants to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. And officials suggested that those immigrants were benefiting from the welfare programs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When a state chooses to participate in TANF, it accepts the obligation to report illegal aliens in the United States,” Assistant Attorney General T. Elliot Gaiser of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel said in a statement. “Tax dollars intended to help vulnerable Americans should not perversely encourage illegal entry into the United States, but rather should reinforce our laws and our borders.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In fact, people who are not lawfully present in the U.S. are \u003ca href=\"https://acf.gov/ofa/policy-guidance/acf-ofa-im-25-01\">not eligible\u003c/a> for \u003ca href=\"https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/spotlights/spot-non-citizens.htm\">either program\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If California were to comply with the new federal requirements, however, it would spotlight for federal immigration enforcement many of the \u003ca href=\"https://data.cmsny.org\">estimated 2.6 million people\u003c/a> in the state without legal status, including those who have lived in the U.S. for years and have U.S. citizen children.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California has information on a lot of residents without legal immigration status because, over the past two decades, lawmakers have made them eligible for public resources, including driver’s licenses, emergency health care and in-state tuition, UC Davis law professor Kevin Johnson said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The risk is bigger in California because California has been willing, in exercising its legislative judgment, to provide more services and benefits to undocumented immigrants than many other states,” Johnson said. “It’s done so legally, and it’s done so without the knowledge that it might be required to share information with the federal government.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/AP26020827442794-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12070624\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/AP26020827442794-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/AP26020827442794-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/AP26020827442794-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Adam Schiff, right, walks with Sen. Alex Padilla, during a visit to an immigration detention center on Jan. 20, 2026, in California City, California. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/04/california-dmv-shares-immigrant-driver-data/\">More than a million\u003c/a> unauthorized immigrants have California driver’s licenses, thanks to a 2013 law known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/driver-licenses-identification-cards/assembly-bill-ab-60-driver-licenses/\">AB 60\u003c/a> that allows residents to obtain a license regardless of their immigration status. And more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/state/california/\">100,000 students\u003c/a> without status are enrolled in California public universities, where they qualify for in-state tuition and some state financial aid \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/california-nonresident-tuition-exemption\">under AB 540\u003c/a>, passed by the Legislature in 2001.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sen. Alex Padilla, who helped spearhead AB 60 when he was a state lawmaker, called the administration’s move an effort to vilify immigrants by holding hostage aid to seniors, people with disabilities and struggling families.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Instead of doing anything to make life more affordable, this administration is choosing to distract from their disastrous policies by sowing chaos and fear,” Padilla told KQED in a statement. “Kids and working families will pay an even greater price because of their cruelty, and I won’t stop fighting for the justice they deserve.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Johnson called the Department of Justice’s new opinion unusual from a legal standpoint, and he said he expects it to be challenged in court by states such as California on the grounds that it is arbitrary and capricious and doesn’t consider the interests of those who’ve relied on the Clinton-era understanding of the law. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s very rare to reinterpret an interpretation that was put into place a quarter-century ago and has never been questioned or undermined by legislation or a court decision in any way,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Johnson cautioned that the opinion was carefully written and could be challenging to overturn.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the office is reviewing it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Trump administration is continuing to try to coerce states into its hateful agenda, this time by attempting to rewrite decades-old law,” spokesperson Nina Sheridan said. “We’re evaluating the Office of Legal Counsel’s opinion.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> is at risk of losing nearly $12 billion in federal funding for public assistance programs after the Trump administration threatened to cut off grants to states unless they report every known unauthorized immigrant to immigration authorities.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The threat came in the form of a new legal \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-clarifies-duty-states-report-known-illegal-aliens-under-welfare-reform\">opinion\u003c/a> this month reinterpreting a 1990s welfare-reform law to mean that all agencies in states receiving welfare funding — which is every state in the nation — must report all “individuals known to be not lawfully present” to the federal government or risk losing grants that aid low-income people.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s a dramatic reversal from the Clinton-era interpretation of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which said that only state agencies administering the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs needed to provide information to federal immigration authorities. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office was defiant in its opposition to the threat.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This is nothing new — Trump has always tried to play cruel games with states that protect working families,” Newsom spokesperson Diana Crofts-Pelayo said. “The courts have repeatedly rejected the Trump administration’s politically motivated attacks on blue states — should the Trump administration move forward, we expect the same here.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This is nothing new — Trump has always tried to play cruel games with states that protect working families,” Newsom spokesperson Diana Crofts-Pelayo said. “The courts have repeatedly rejected the Trump administration’s politically motivated attacks on blue states — should the Trump administration move forward, we expect the same here.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>TANF — known in California as CalWORKS — is short-term cash assistance for people in poverty, including \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5057\">nearly 900,000 Californians\u003c/a> as of 2024. SSI provides cash benefits to elderly, blind or disabled people with low incomes, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_sc/2025/ca.pdf\">1.1 million Californians\u003c/a> as of 2025. That’s roughly 2 million Californians benefitted from the two programs. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>TANF — known in California as CalWORKS — is short-term cash assistance for people in poverty, including \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5057\">nearly 900,000 Californians\u003c/a> as of 2024. SSI provides cash benefits to elderly, blind or disabled people with low incomes, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_sc/2025/ca.pdf\">1.1 million Californians\u003c/a> as of 2025. That’s roughly 2 million Californians benefitted from the two programs. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California receives a $3.7 billion annual block grant for TANF and roughly $8 billion a year in SSI funding, according to Ryan Woolsey, a policy analyst at the state Legislative Analyst’s Office. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California receives a $3.7 billion annual block grant for TANF and roughly $8 billion a year in SSI funding, according to Ryan Woolsey, a policy analyst at the state Legislative Analyst’s Office. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Trump administration said it believes Congress intended for every state agency to report unauthorized immigrants to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. And officials suggested that those immigrants were benefiting from the welfare programs.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When a state chooses to participate in TANF, it accepts the obligation to report illegal aliens in the United States,” Assistant Attorney General T. Elliot Gaiser of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel said in a statement. “Tax dollars intended to help vulnerable Americans should not perversely encourage illegal entry into the United States, but rather should reinforce our laws and our borders.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“When a state chooses to participate in TANF, it accepts the obligation to report illegal aliens in the United States,” Assistant Attorney General T. Elliot Gaiser of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel said in a statement. “Tax dollars intended to help vulnerable Americans should not perversely encourage illegal entry into the United States, but rather should reinforce our laws and our borders.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In fact, people who are not lawfully present in the U.S. are \u003ca href=\"https://acf.gov/ofa/policy-guidance/acf-ofa-im-25-01\">not eligible\u003c/a> for \u003ca href=\"https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/spotlights/spot-non-citizens.htm\">either program\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In fact, people who are not lawfully present in the U.S. are \u003ca href=\"https://acf.gov/ofa/policy-guidance/acf-ofa-im-25-01\">not eligible\u003c/a> for \u003ca href=\"https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/spotlights/spot-non-citizens.htm\">either program\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If California were to comply with the new federal requirements, however, it would spotlight for federal immigration enforcement many of the \u003ca href=\"https://data.cmsny.org\">estimated 2.6 million people\u003c/a> in the state without legal status, including those who have lived in the U.S. for years and have U.S. citizen children.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If California were to comply with the new federal requirements, however, it would spotlight for federal immigration enforcement many of the \u003ca href=\"https://data.cmsny.org\">estimated 2.6 million people\u003c/a> in the state without legal status, including those who have lived in the U.S. for years and have U.S. citizen children.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California has information on a lot of residents without legal immigration status because, over the past two decades, lawmakers have made them eligible for public resources, including driver’s licenses, emergency health care and in-state tuition, UC Davis law professor Kevin Johnson said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California has information on a lot of residents without legal immigration status because, over the past two decades, lawmakers have made them eligible for public resources, including driver’s licenses, emergency health care and in-state tuition, UC Davis law professor Kevin Johnson said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The risk is bigger in California because California has been willing, in exercising its legislative judgment, to provide more services and benefits to undocumented immigrants than many other states,” Johnson said. “It’s done so legally, and it’s done so without the knowledge that it might be required to share information with the federal government.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The risk is bigger in California because California has been willing, in exercising its legislative judgment, to provide more services and benefits to undocumented immigrants than many other states,” Johnson said. “It’s done so legally, and it’s done so without the knowledge that it might be required to share information with the federal government.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/AP26020827442794-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12070624\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/AP26020827442794-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/AP26020827442794-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/AP26020827442794-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Adam Schiff, right, walks with Sen. Alex Padilla, during a visit to an immigration detention center on Jan. 20, 2026, in California City, California. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/04/california-dmv-shares-immigrant-driver-data/\">More than a million\u003c/a> unauthorized immigrants have California driver’s licenses, thanks to a 2013 law known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/driver-licenses-identification-cards/assembly-bill-ab-60-driver-licenses/\">AB 60\u003c/a> that allows residents to obtain a license regardless of their immigration status. And more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/state/california/\">100,000 students\u003c/a> without status are enrolled in California public universities, where they qualify for in-state tuition and some state financial aid \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/california-nonresident-tuition-exemption\">under AB 540\u003c/a>, passed by the Legislature in 2001.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/04/california-dmv-shares-immigrant-driver-data/\">More than a million\u003c/a> unauthorized immigrants have California driver’s licenses, thanks to a 2013 law known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/driver-licenses-identification-cards/assembly-bill-ab-60-driver-licenses/\">AB 60\u003c/a> that allows residents to obtain a license regardless of their immigration status. And more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/state/california/\">100,000 students\u003c/a> without status are enrolled in California public universities, where they qualify for in-state tuition and some state financial aid \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/california-nonresident-tuition-exemption\">under AB 540\u003c/a>, passed by the Legislature in 2001.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sen. Alex Padilla, who helped spearhead AB 60 when he was a state lawmaker, called the administration’s move an effort to vilify immigrants by holding hostage aid to seniors, people with disabilities and struggling families.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Instead of doing anything to make life more affordable, this administration is choosing to distract from their disastrous policies by sowing chaos and fear,” Padilla told KQED in a statement. “Kids and working families will pay an even greater price because of their cruelty, and I won’t stop fighting for the justice they deserve.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Johnson called the Department of Justice’s new opinion unusual from a legal standpoint, and he said he expects it to be challenged in court by states such as California on the grounds that it is arbitrary and capricious and doesn’t consider the interests of those who’ve relied on the Clinton-era understanding of the law. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s very rare to reinterpret an interpretation that was put into place a quarter-century ago and has never been questioned or undermined by legislation or a court decision in any way,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Johnson cautioned that the opinion was carefully written and could be challenging to overturn.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the office is reviewing it.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The Trump administration is continuing to try to coerce states into its hateful agenda, this time by attempting to rewrite decades-old law,” spokesperson Nina Sheridan said. “We’re evaluating the Office of Legal Counsel’s opinion.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The administration says states won't get funding unless they report known unauthorized immigrants to federal authorities, a move that could affect more than a million California residents. ",
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"title": "Trump Administration Threatens Billions in State Welfare Funding | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> is at risk of losing nearly $12 billion in federal funding for public assistance programs after the Trump administration threatened to cut off grants to states unless they report every known unauthorized immigrant to immigration authorities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The threat came in the form of a new legal \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-clarifies-duty-states-report-known-illegal-aliens-under-welfare-reform\">opinion\u003c/a> this month reinterpreting a 1990s welfare-reform law to mean that all agencies in states receiving welfare funding — which is every state in the nation — must report all “individuals known to be not lawfully present” to the federal government or risk losing grants that aid low-income people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s a dramatic reversal from the Clinton-era interpretation of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which said that only state agencies administering the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs needed to provide information to federal immigration authorities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office was defiant in its opposition to the threat.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260116-NewsomLuriePresser-32-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12070630\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260116-NewsomLuriePresser-32-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260116-NewsomLuriePresser-32-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260116-NewsomLuriePresser-32-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference at the Friendship House Association of American Indians in San Francisco on Jan. 16, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is nothing new — Trump has always tried to play cruel games with states that protect working families,” Newsom spokesperson Diana Crofts-Pelayo said. “The courts have repeatedly rejected the Trump administration’s politically motivated attacks on blue states — should the Trump administration move forward, we expect the same here.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>TANF — known in California as CalWORKS — is short-term cash assistance for people in poverty, including \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5057\">nearly 900,000 Californians\u003c/a> as of 2024. SSI provides cash benefits to elderly, blind or disabled people with low incomes, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_sc/2025/ca.pdf\">1.1 million Californians\u003c/a> as of 2025. That’s roughly 2 million Californians benefitted from the two programs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California receives a $3.7 billion annual block grant for TANF and roughly $8 billion a year in SSI funding, according to Ryan Woolsey, a policy analyst at the state Legislative Analyst’s Office. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration said it believes Congress intended for every state agency to report unauthorized immigrants to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. And officials suggested that those immigrants were benefiting from the welfare programs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When a state chooses to participate in TANF, it accepts the obligation to report illegal aliens in the United States,” Assistant Attorney General T. Elliot Gaiser of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel said in a statement. “Tax dollars intended to help vulnerable Americans should not perversely encourage illegal entry into the United States, but rather should reinforce our laws and our borders.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In fact, people who are not lawfully present in the U.S. are \u003ca href=\"https://acf.gov/ofa/policy-guidance/acf-ofa-im-25-01\">not eligible\u003c/a> for \u003ca href=\"https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/spotlights/spot-non-citizens.htm\">either program\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If California were to comply with the new federal requirements, however, it would spotlight for federal immigration enforcement many of the \u003ca href=\"https://data.cmsny.org\">estimated 2.6 million people\u003c/a> in the state without legal status, including those who have lived in the U.S. for years and have U.S. citizen children.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California has information on a lot of residents without legal immigration status because, over the past two decades, lawmakers have made them eligible for public resources, including driver’s licenses, emergency health care and in-state tuition, UC Davis law professor Kevin Johnson said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The risk is bigger in California because California has been willing, in exercising its legislative judgment, to provide more services and benefits to undocumented immigrants than many other states,” Johnson said. “It’s done so legally, and it’s done so without the knowledge that it might be required to share information with the federal government.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/AP26020827442794-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12070624\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/AP26020827442794-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/AP26020827442794-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/AP26020827442794-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Adam Schiff, right, walks with Sen. Alex Padilla, during a visit to an immigration detention center on Jan. 20, 2026, in California City, California. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/04/california-dmv-shares-immigrant-driver-data/\">More than a million\u003c/a> unauthorized immigrants have California driver’s licenses, thanks to a 2013 law known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/driver-licenses-identification-cards/assembly-bill-ab-60-driver-licenses/\">AB 60\u003c/a> that allows residents to obtain a license regardless of their immigration status. And more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/state/california/\">100,000 students\u003c/a> without status are enrolled in California public universities, where they qualify for in-state tuition and some state financial aid \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/california-nonresident-tuition-exemption\">under AB 540\u003c/a>, passed by the Legislature in 2001.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sen. Alex Padilla, who helped spearhead AB 60 when he was a state lawmaker, called the administration’s move an effort to vilify immigrants by holding hostage aid to seniors, people with disabilities and struggling families.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Instead of doing anything to make life more affordable, this administration is choosing to distract from their disastrous policies by sowing chaos and fear,” Padilla told KQED in a statement. “Kids and working families will pay an even greater price because of their cruelty, and I won’t stop fighting for the justice they deserve.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Johnson called the Department of Justice’s new opinion unusual from a legal standpoint, and he said he expects it to be challenged in court by states such as California on the grounds that it is arbitrary and capricious and doesn’t consider the interests of those who’ve relied on the Clinton-era understanding of the law. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s very rare to reinterpret an interpretation that was put into place a quarter-century ago and has never been questioned or undermined by legislation or a court decision in any way,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Johnson cautioned that the opinion was carefully written and could be challenging to overturn.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the office is reviewing it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Trump administration is continuing to try to coerce states into its hateful agenda, this time by attempting to rewrite decades-old law,” spokesperson Nina Sheridan said. “We’re evaluating the Office of Legal Counsel’s opinion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "community-colleges-suddenly-oppose-plan-to-let-them-offer-more-bachelors-degrees",
"title": "Community Colleges Suddenly Oppose Plan to Let Them Offer More Bachelor’s Degrees",
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"headTitle": "Community Colleges Suddenly Oppose Plan to Let Them Offer More Bachelor’s Degrees | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/whatmatters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WhatMatters\u003c/a> to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues in the Golden State.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>’s community colleges have been trying for several years to offer more bachelor’s degrees. This year, they put their hopes in two sweeping bills designed to help them do that. But lawmakers made massive, last-minute changes that prompted the state’s community colleges to now oppose the legislation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The abrupt change of heart, spurred by new limits on how much the colleges could grow their bachelor’s programs, didn’t influence the outcomes of the bills: \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb960\">Senate Bill 960\u003c/a> by Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, a Democrat from Napa, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2694\">Assembly Bill 2694\u003c/a> by David Alvarez, also a Democrat from Chula Vista. Both passed this week by wide margins in the Legislature and now head to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In recent years, Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/01/community-colleges-california-2/#:~:text=While%20Newsom%20supports\">vetoed bills\u003c/a> that sought to expand the community colleges’ ability to issue more bachelor’s degrees. Still, Newsom’s office was involved in the revision of the latest bills, Cabaldon said in a Senate floor speech Monday.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“This is the first time that we’ve been able to engage in productive conversation between the houses and the executive branch,” \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/280027#t=1158&f=4f607eb330ef5178f50fba4551edfb0e\">he said\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1.jpg\" alt=\"An aerial view of a college campus with people walking around.\" class=\"wp-image-12023068\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Santiago Canyon College campus in Orange, California. In recent years, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed bills that sought to expand the community colleges’ ability to issue more bachelor’s degrees. (Courtesy of Santiago Canyon College)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Combined, the bills introduce new mechanisms for determining when colleges can create bachelor’s degrees and how many they can offer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The new approach has accountability metrics — colleges would be able to offer an additional two to 12 bachelor’s degrees starting in 2028 depending on their students’ certificate, degree and transfer-completion rates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>No college district could propose more than three new degrees per year, and districts would need to prove that there’s a workforce need in their region to justify the creation of a bachelor’s degree.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s a claim the state’s labor secretary would step in to validate if the California State University system objects, as has regularly occurred in the pitched policy disputes \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/08/bachelors-degrees/\">between the community colleges and the university\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>The rules would apply to new degrees offered after 2028; existing community college bachelor’s degrees are grandfathered in. Today, 49 colleges \u003ca href=\"https://www.cccco.edu/About-Us/Chancellors-Office/Divisions/Educational-Services-and-Support/What-we-do/Curriculum-and-Instruction-Unit/Curriculum/Baccalaureate-Degree-Program\">either offer or will soon\u003c/a> offer 66 bachelor’s degrees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cabaldon called the bills a breakthrough that would bring long-sought clarity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This will give us peace,” he said in a phone interview. “That doesn’t mean everybody’s going to agree all of the time, but it does mean the endless war and bickering and fighting and more and more legislation will come to an end.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Community college leaders said the amendments are too last-minute, too unclear and too complicated, even if they appreciate the effort by the Legislature to wrangle the thorny issues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re being asked to … support a process that is not completely understood or vetted at the last minute, and so that’s just not great policymaking,” said Larry Galizio, president and CEO of the Community College League of California, an association representing community college presidents and board leaders. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-bachelor-s-degrees-have-been-so-contentious\">Why bachelor’s degrees have been so contentious\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The community colleges’ sudden shift is another turn in an effort that has produced near-constant turmoil. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Historically, the community colleges and Cal State have clashed over which bachelor’s degrees the colleges can teach. A 2021 state law was supposed to establish peace in the realm, but the colleges and Cal State regularly disagreed on a key concept — degree duplication. That law said the colleges couldn’t create bachelor’s degrees that are already offered by any Cal State or University of California campus, even if a community college is hundreds of miles from the nearest public university. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Colleges and several lawmakers called that an unfair arrangement, since many community college students can’t relocate to a distant university. In some instances, community colleges created those degrees anyway, \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2026/california-community-colleges-approve-3-new-bachelors-degrees-over-california-state-university-objections/751678\">over the objections of the Cal State system\u003c/a>, EdSource reported.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211.jpg\" alt=\"When researchers took a close look at transcripts for thousands of California community college students, they discovered an encouraging trend in enrollment for undocumented students.\" class=\"wp-image-11714155\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The community colleges are generally barred from duplicating a degree a UC campus offers. (Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images for UCLA)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Backers and foes of more bachelor’s degrees at community colleges point to competing data.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A recent report found that \u003ca href=\"https://rpgroup.org/Portals/0/Documents/Projects/Exploring_Geographic_Isolation_Barrier_Equitable_Transfer_Outcomes/DistanceMatters_ExploringGeographicBarriers_November2024.pdf?ver=2024-12-20-201519-053\">29 of the state’s 116 community colleges\u003c/a> are located at least 25 miles from a public university. Their students are “place-bound” or can’t easily move from the area their community colleges serve. Roughly 157,000 students attend these colleges.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/01/community-colleges-california-2/#:~:text=Southwestern%20College%20student%20Marilynn%20Palomino%20is\">Some students say\u003c/a> they need their local community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees because local employers want those — certificates or associate degrees aren’t enough. But under existing law, those colleges cannot provide them because a Cal State 500 miles away offers that degree already.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>On the other hand, community colleges post low transfer rates — just 21% of students who wanted to transfer do so after four years, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.auditor.ca.gov/reports/2023-123/\">state auditor reported\u003c/a>. This may indicate a broken transfer system that could be remedied if more colleges could offer bachelor’s. Or it may demonstrate that colleges \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/01/community-colleges-california-2/#:~:text=Community%20colleges%20have,college%20system%20chancellor.\">aren’t ready\u003c/a> to widen their academic offerings because most also post low certificate and associate degree completion rates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-the-bills-address-duplication\">How the bills address duplication\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In response, Alvarez and Cabaldon wrote comprehensive bills this year to allow colleges to create bachelor’s degrees, even if they resemble degrees already offered by Cal State campuses. The community colleges were on board with those versions while the Cal State system was opposed; the system instead wanted more streamlined pathways for students to start their studies at a community college and earn a bachelor’s at a Cal State campus. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Others in the system have feared that an expansion of community college bachelor’s degrees would siphon away students and crucial tuition revenue at a time when some Cal States \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/03/cal-state-enrollment/\">are battling enrollment declines\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088396\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California State University, Northridge, on Aug. 22, 2025. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The new combined bills allow community colleges to propose bachelor’s degrees even if a nearby Cal State offers a similar program, but only if that Cal State program admits fewer than 75% of applicants from that nearby community college for three consecutive years. The community college would still need to submit a workforce needs report and be governed by the degree caps also spelled out in the bills. That workforce need could be that employers are having difficulty filling positions that require a bachelor’s degree, the two bills say.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>And unlike the current policy, in which there’s no arbiter to settle an impasse between community colleges and the Cal States over duplication, a review by the state’s secretary of labor siding with the colleges would remove the Cal State system’s challenge to the degree. But districts face consequences for being wrong: If the labor secretary sides with Cal State, the district is barred from submitting an application for a similar program for five years.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>The community colleges are generally barred from duplicating a degree a UC campus offers. Only written consent from a UC would clear the way for duplication, the bills say.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-community-colleges-are-now-opposed\">Why community colleges are now opposed \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The newly created caps on the number of degrees community college districts can offer are a problem for the community college system. Districts will be judged by their student completion rates and how those rates compare to the statewide average.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>The bills “would make a district’s eligibility depend partly on how its performance\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>compares with every other district in the state,” \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/SB-960-CCCCO-Letter-of-Opposition-August-26-2026.pdf\">a letter of opposition\u003c/a> to Cabaldon reads from Sonya Christian, chancellor of California Community Colleges. “A district could improve its own student outcomes” but still have the same caps apply to them, “or even see its eligibility change simply because the statewide average changed,” she wrote.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A person walks toward a building labeled "Creative Arts" on a campus with trees, sidewalks and the street in view.\" class=\"wp-image-11968734\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A student walks through the City College of San Francisco community college campus in San Francisco on Aug. 22, 2023. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Galizio of the Community College League also takes issue with the caps on degree creation. He said in an interview that campuses with low graduation rates typically serve more low-income students, the same students who need more bachelor’s degrees to get a leg up in the workforce.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But not all community college leaders think the bills are bad for their campuses, including Jose Fierro, president/superintendent of the Cerritos Community College District. Based on his college’s completion rates, he thinks he’ll be permitted to add a total of six to eight new bachelor’s degrees starting in 2028. That’s plenty for now, he said. The school has two now and plans to launch more in 2027.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“We are not trying to become a university. It’s not our mission. We’re trying to align with industry and provide pathways for social and economic mobility for our students,” he said in an interview. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But just because the bills aren’t a problem for him doesn’t mean it’s not a problem for the system. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“For some of us this is workable,” he said. For other colleges, “this is going to bring some additional challenges.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/whatmatters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WhatMatters\u003c/a> to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues in the Golden State.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>’s community colleges have been trying for several years to offer more bachelor’s degrees. This year, they put their hopes in two sweeping bills designed to help them do that. But lawmakers made massive, last-minute changes that prompted the state’s community colleges to now oppose the legislation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>’s community colleges have been trying for several years to offer more bachelor’s degrees. This year, they put their hopes in two sweeping bills designed to help them do that. But lawmakers made massive, last-minute changes that prompted the state’s community colleges to now oppose the legislation. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The abrupt change of heart, spurred by new limits on how much the colleges could grow their bachelor’s programs, didn’t influence the outcomes of the bills: \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb960\">Senate Bill 960\u003c/a> by Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, a Democrat from Napa, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2694\">Assembly Bill 2694\u003c/a> by David Alvarez, also a Democrat from Chula Vista. Both passed this week by wide margins in the Legislature and now head to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The abrupt change of heart, spurred by new limits on how much the colleges could grow their bachelor’s programs, didn’t influence the outcomes of the bills: \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb960\">Senate Bill 960\u003c/a> by Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, a Democrat from Napa, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2694\">Assembly Bill 2694\u003c/a> by David Alvarez, also a Democrat from Chula Vista. Both passed this week by wide margins in the Legislature and now head to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In recent years, Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/01/community-colleges-california-2/#:~:text=While%20Newsom%20supports\">vetoed bills\u003c/a> that sought to expand the community colleges’ ability to issue more bachelor’s degrees. Still, Newsom’s office was involved in the revision of the latest bills, Cabaldon said in a Senate floor speech Monday.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“This is the first time that we’ve been able to engage in productive conversation between the houses and the executive branch,” \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/280027#t=1158&f=4f607eb330ef5178f50fba4551edfb0e\">he said\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In recent years, Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/01/community-colleges-california-2/#:~:text=While%20Newsom%20supports\">vetoed bills\u003c/a> that sought to expand the community colleges’ ability to issue more bachelor’s degrees. Still, Newsom’s office was involved in the revision of the latest bills, Cabaldon said in a Senate floor speech Monday.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“This is the first time that we’ve been able to engage in productive conversation between the houses and the executive branch,” \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/280027#t=1158&f=4f607eb330ef5178f50fba4551edfb0e\">he said\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1.jpg\" alt=\"An aerial view of a college campus with people walking around.\" class=\"wp-image-12023068\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Santiago Canyon College campus in Orange, California. In recent years, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed bills that sought to expand the community colleges’ ability to issue more bachelor’s degrees.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Santiago Canyon College)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1.jpg\" alt=\"An aerial view of a college campus with people walking around.\" class=\"wp-image-12023068\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Santiago Canyon College campus in Orange, California. In recent years, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed bills that sought to expand the community colleges’ ability to issue more bachelor’s degrees.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Santiago Canyon College)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Combined, the bills introduce new mechanisms for determining when colleges can create bachelor’s degrees and how many they can offer. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The new approach has accountability metrics — colleges would be able to offer an additional two to 12 bachelor’s degrees starting in 2028 depending on their students’ certificate, degree and transfer-completion rates.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The new approach has accountability metrics — colleges would be able to offer an additional two to 12 bachelor’s degrees starting in 2028 depending on their students’ certificate, degree and transfer-completion rates.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>No college district could propose more than three new degrees per year, and districts would need to prove that there’s a workforce need in their region to justify the creation of a bachelor’s degree.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>No college district could propose more than three new degrees per year, and districts would need to prove that there’s a workforce need in their region to justify the creation of a bachelor’s degree.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s a claim the state’s labor secretary would step in to validate if the California State University system objects, as has regularly occurred in the pitched policy disputes \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/08/bachelors-degrees/\">between the community colleges and the university\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>The rules would apply to new degrees offered after 2028; existing community college bachelor’s degrees are grandfathered in. Today, 49 colleges \u003ca href=\"https://www.cccco.edu/About-Us/Chancellors-Office/Divisions/Educational-Services-and-Support/What-we-do/Curriculum-and-Instruction-Unit/Curriculum/Baccalaureate-Degree-Program\">either offer or will soon\u003c/a> offer 66 bachelor’s degrees.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That’s a claim the state’s labor secretary would step in to validate if the California State University system objects, as has regularly occurred in the pitched policy disputes \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/08/bachelors-degrees/\">between the community colleges and the university\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>The rules would apply to new degrees offered after 2028; existing community college bachelor’s degrees are grandfathered in. Today, 49 colleges \u003ca href=\"https://www.cccco.edu/About-Us/Chancellors-Office/Divisions/Educational-Services-and-Support/What-we-do/Curriculum-and-Instruction-Unit/Curriculum/Baccalaureate-Degree-Program\">either offer or will soon\u003c/a> offer 66 bachelor’s degrees.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cabaldon called the bills a breakthrough that would bring long-sought clarity. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This will give us peace,” he said in a phone interview. “That doesn’t mean everybody’s going to agree all of the time, but it does mean the endless war and bickering and fighting and more and more legislation will come to an end.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This will give us peace,” he said in a phone interview. “That doesn’t mean everybody’s going to agree all of the time, but it does mean the endless war and bickering and fighting and more and more legislation will come to an end.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Community college leaders said the amendments are too last-minute, too unclear and too complicated, even if they appreciate the effort by the Legislature to wrangle the thorny issues.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re being asked to … support a process that is not completely understood or vetted at the last minute, and so that’s just not great policymaking,” said Larry Galizio, president and CEO of the Community College League of California, an association representing community college presidents and board leaders. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’re being asked to … support a process that is not completely understood or vetted at the last minute, and so that’s just not great policymaking,” said Larry Galizio, president and CEO of the Community College League of California, an association representing community college presidents and board leaders. \u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Why bachelor’s degrees have been so contentious",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-bachelor-s-degrees-have-been-so-contentious\">Why bachelor’s degrees have been so contentious\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-bachelor-s-degrees-have-been-so-contentious\">Why bachelor’s degrees have been so contentious\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The community colleges’ sudden shift is another turn in an effort that has produced near-constant turmoil. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The community colleges’ sudden shift is another turn in an effort that has produced near-constant turmoil. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Historically, the community colleges and Cal State have clashed over which bachelor’s degrees the colleges can teach. A 2021 state law was supposed to establish peace in the realm, but the colleges and Cal State regularly disagreed on a key concept — degree duplication. That law said the colleges couldn’t create bachelor’s degrees that are already offered by any Cal State or University of California campus, even if a community college is hundreds of miles from the nearest public university. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Historically, the community colleges and Cal State have clashed over which bachelor’s degrees the colleges can teach. A 2021 state law was supposed to establish peace in the realm, but the colleges and Cal State regularly disagreed on a key concept — degree duplication. That law said the colleges couldn’t create bachelor’s degrees that are already offered by any Cal State or University of California campus, even if a community college is hundreds of miles from the nearest public university. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Colleges and several lawmakers called that an unfair arrangement, since many community college students can’t relocate to a distant university. In some instances, community colleges created those degrees anyway, \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2026/california-community-colleges-approve-3-new-bachelors-degrees-over-california-state-university-objections/751678\">over the objections of the Cal State system\u003c/a>, EdSource reported.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Colleges and several lawmakers called that an unfair arrangement, since many community college students can’t relocate to a distant university. In some instances, community colleges created those degrees anyway, \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2026/california-community-colleges-approve-3-new-bachelors-degrees-over-california-state-university-objections/751678\">over the objections of the Cal State system\u003c/a>, EdSource reported.\u003c/p>\n"
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"alt": "When researchers took a close look at transcripts for thousands of California community college students, they discovered an encouraging trend in enrollment for undocumented students.",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-1200x800.jpg 1200w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211.jpg\" alt=\"When researchers took a close look at transcripts for thousands of California community college students, they discovered an encouraging trend in enrollment for undocumented students.\" class=\"wp-image-11714155\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The community colleges are generally barred from duplicating a degree a UC campus offers. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images for UCLA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211.jpg\" alt=\"When researchers took a close look at transcripts for thousands of California community college students, they discovered an encouraging trend in enrollment for undocumented students.\" class=\"wp-image-11714155\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The community colleges are generally barred from duplicating a degree a UC campus offers. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images for UCLA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A recent report found that \u003ca href=\"https://rpgroup.org/Portals/0/Documents/Projects/Exploring_Geographic_Isolation_Barrier_Equitable_Transfer_Outcomes/DistanceMatters_ExploringGeographicBarriers_November2024.pdf?ver=2024-12-20-201519-053\">29 of the state’s 116 community colleges\u003c/a> are located at least 25 miles from a public university. Their students are “place-bound” or can’t easily move from the area their community colleges serve. Roughly 157,000 students attend these colleges.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A recent report found that \u003ca href=\"https://rpgroup.org/Portals/0/Documents/Projects/Exploring_Geographic_Isolation_Barrier_Equitable_Transfer_Outcomes/DistanceMatters_ExploringGeographicBarriers_November2024.pdf?ver=2024-12-20-201519-053\">29 of the state’s 116 community colleges\u003c/a> are located at least 25 miles from a public university. Their students are “place-bound” or can’t easily move from the area their community colleges serve. Roughly 157,000 students attend these colleges.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/01/community-colleges-california-2/#:~:text=Southwestern%20College%20student%20Marilynn%20Palomino%20is\">Some students say\u003c/a> they need their local community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees because local employers want those — certificates or associate degrees aren’t enough. But under existing law, those colleges cannot provide them because a Cal State 500 miles away offers that degree already.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>On the other hand, community colleges post low transfer rates — just 21% of students who wanted to transfer do so after four years, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.auditor.ca.gov/reports/2023-123/\">state auditor reported\u003c/a>. This may indicate a broken transfer system that could be remedied if more colleges could offer bachelor’s. Or it may demonstrate that colleges \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/01/community-colleges-california-2/#:~:text=Community%20colleges%20have,college%20system%20chancellor.\">aren’t ready\u003c/a> to widen their academic offerings because most also post low certificate and associate degree completion rates.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/01/community-colleges-california-2/#:~:text=Southwestern%20College%20student%20Marilynn%20Palomino%20is\">Some students say\u003c/a> they need their local community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees because local employers want those — certificates or associate degrees aren’t enough. But under existing law, those colleges cannot provide them because a Cal State 500 miles away offers that degree already.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>On the other hand, community colleges post low transfer rates — just 21% of students who wanted to transfer do so after four years, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.auditor.ca.gov/reports/2023-123/\">state auditor reported\u003c/a>. This may indicate a broken transfer system that could be remedied if more colleges could offer bachelor’s. Or it may demonstrate that colleges \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/01/community-colleges-california-2/#:~:text=Community%20colleges%20have,college%20system%20chancellor.\">aren’t ready\u003c/a> to widen their academic offerings because most also post low certificate and associate degree completion rates.\u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
"text": "How the bills address duplication",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-the-bills-address-duplication\">How the bills address duplication\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-the-bills-address-duplication\">How the bills address duplication\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In response, Alvarez and Cabaldon wrote comprehensive bills this year to allow colleges to create bachelor’s degrees, even if they resemble degrees already offered by Cal State campuses. The community colleges were on board with those versions while the Cal State system was opposed; the system instead wanted more streamlined pathways for students to start their studies at a community college and earn a bachelor’s at a Cal State campus. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In response, Alvarez and Cabaldon wrote comprehensive bills this year to allow colleges to create bachelor’s degrees, even if they resemble degrees already offered by Cal State campuses. The community colleges were on board with those versions while the Cal State system was opposed; the system instead wanted more streamlined pathways for students to start their studies at a community college and earn a bachelor’s at a Cal State campus. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Others in the system have feared that an expansion of community college bachelor’s degrees would siphon away students and crucial tuition revenue at a time when some Cal States \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/03/cal-state-enrollment/\">are battling enrollment declines\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Others in the system have feared that an expansion of community college bachelor’s degrees would siphon away students and crucial tuition revenue at a time when some Cal States \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/03/cal-state-enrollment/\">are battling enrollment declines\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088396\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California State University, Northridge, on Aug. 22, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088396\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California State University, Northridge, on Aug. 22, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The new combined bills allow community colleges to propose bachelor’s degrees even if a nearby Cal State offers a similar program, but only if that Cal State program admits fewer than 75% of applicants from that nearby community college for three consecutive years. The community college would still need to submit a workforce needs report and be governed by the degree caps also spelled out in the bills. That workforce need could be that employers are having difficulty filling positions that require a bachelor’s degree, the two bills say.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>And unlike the current policy, in which there’s no arbiter to settle an impasse between community colleges and the Cal States over duplication, a review by the state’s secretary of labor siding with the colleges would remove the Cal State system’s challenge to the degree. But districts face consequences for being wrong: If the labor secretary sides with Cal State, the district is barred from submitting an application for a similar program for five years.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>The community colleges are generally barred from duplicating a degree a UC campus offers. Only written consent from a UC would clear the way for duplication, the bills say.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The new combined bills allow community colleges to propose bachelor’s degrees even if a nearby Cal State offers a similar program, but only if that Cal State program admits fewer than 75% of applicants from that nearby community college for three consecutive years. The community college would still need to submit a workforce needs report and be governed by the degree caps also spelled out in the bills. That workforce need could be that employers are having difficulty filling positions that require a bachelor’s degree, the two bills say.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>And unlike the current policy, in which there’s no arbiter to settle an impasse between community colleges and the Cal States over duplication, a review by the state’s secretary of labor siding with the colleges would remove the Cal State system’s challenge to the degree. But districts face consequences for being wrong: If the labor secretary sides with Cal State, the district is barred from submitting an application for a similar program for five years.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>The community colleges are generally barred from duplicating a degree a UC campus offers. Only written consent from a UC would clear the way for duplication, the bills say.\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Why community colleges are now opposed ",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-community-colleges-are-now-opposed\">Why community colleges are now opposed \u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The newly created caps on the number of degrees community college districts can offer are a problem for the community college system. Districts will be judged by their student completion rates and how those rates compare to the statewide average.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>The bills “would make a district’s eligibility depend partly on how its performance\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The newly created caps on the number of degrees community college districts can offer are a problem for the community college system. Districts will be judged by their student completion rates and how those rates compare to the statewide average.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>The bills “would make a district’s eligibility depend partly on how its performance\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>compares with every other district in the state,” \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/SB-960-CCCCO-Letter-of-Opposition-August-26-2026.pdf\">a letter of opposition\u003c/a> to Cabaldon reads from Sonya Christian, chancellor of California Community Colleges. “A district could improve its own student outcomes” but still have the same caps apply to them, “or even see its eligibility change simply because the statewide average changed,” she wrote.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>compares with every other district in the state,” \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/SB-960-CCCCO-Letter-of-Opposition-August-26-2026.pdf\">a letter of opposition\u003c/a> to Cabaldon reads from Sonya Christian, chancellor of California Community Colleges. “A district could improve its own student outcomes” but still have the same caps apply to them, “or even see its eligibility change simply because the statewide average changed,” she wrote.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A person walks toward a building labeled "Creative Arts" on a campus with trees, sidewalks and the street in view.\" class=\"wp-image-11968734\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A student walks through the City College of San Francisco community college campus in San Francisco on Aug. 22, 2023.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A person walks toward a building labeled "Creative Arts" on a campus with trees, sidewalks and the street in view.\" class=\"wp-image-11968734\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A student walks through the City College of San Francisco community college campus in San Francisco on Aug. 22, 2023.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Galizio of the Community College League also takes issue with the caps on degree creation. He said in an interview that campuses with low graduation rates typically serve more low-income students, the same students who need more bachelor’s degrees to get a leg up in the workforce.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Galizio of the Community College League also takes issue with the caps on degree creation. He said in an interview that campuses with low graduation rates typically serve more low-income students, the same students who need more bachelor’s degrees to get a leg up in the workforce.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But not all community college leaders think the bills are bad for their campuses, including Jose Fierro, president/superintendent of the Cerritos Community College District. Based on his college’s completion rates, he thinks he’ll be permitted to add a total of six to eight new bachelor’s degrees starting in 2028. That’s plenty for now, he said. The school has two now and plans to launch more in 2027.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“We are not trying to become a university. It’s not our mission. We’re trying to align with industry and provide pathways for social and economic mobility for our students,” he said in an interview. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But not all community college leaders think the bills are bad for their campuses, including Jose Fierro, president/superintendent of the Cerritos Community College District. Based on his college’s completion rates, he thinks he’ll be permitted to add a total of six to eight new bachelor’s degrees starting in 2028. That’s plenty for now, he said. The school has two now and plans to launch more in 2027.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“We are not trying to become a university. It’s not our mission. We’re trying to align with industry and provide pathways for social and economic mobility for our students,” he said in an interview. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But just because the bills aren’t a problem for him doesn’t mean it’s not a problem for the system. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“For some of us this is workable,” he said. For other colleges, “this is going to bring some additional challenges.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“For some of us this is workable,” he said. For other colleges, “this is going to bring some additional challenges.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Two bills sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom set new rules for determining when colleges can create bachelor’s degrees and how many they can offer.\n\n",
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"title": "Community Colleges Suddenly Oppose Plan to Let Them Offer More Bachelor’s Degrees | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/whatmatters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WhatMatters\u003c/a> to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues in the Golden State.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>’s community colleges have been trying for several years to offer more bachelor’s degrees. This year, they put their hopes in two sweeping bills designed to help them do that. But lawmakers made massive, last-minute changes that prompted the state’s community colleges to now oppose the legislation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The abrupt change of heart, spurred by new limits on how much the colleges could grow their bachelor’s programs, didn’t influence the outcomes of the bills: \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb960\">Senate Bill 960\u003c/a> by Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, a Democrat from Napa, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2694\">Assembly Bill 2694\u003c/a> by David Alvarez, also a Democrat from Chula Vista. Both passed this week by wide margins in the Legislature and now head to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In recent years, Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/01/community-colleges-california-2/#:~:text=While%20Newsom%20supports\">vetoed bills\u003c/a> that sought to expand the community colleges’ ability to issue more bachelor’s degrees. Still, Newsom’s office was involved in the revision of the latest bills, Cabaldon said in a Senate floor speech Monday.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“This is the first time that we’ve been able to engage in productive conversation between the houses and the executive branch,” \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/280027#t=1158&f=4f607eb330ef5178f50fba4551edfb0e\">he said\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1.jpg\" alt=\"An aerial view of a college campus with people walking around.\" class=\"wp-image-12023068\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/0207SSC200203437-2048x1365-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Santiago Canyon College campus in Orange, California. In recent years, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed bills that sought to expand the community colleges’ ability to issue more bachelor’s degrees. (Courtesy of Santiago Canyon College)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Combined, the bills introduce new mechanisms for determining when colleges can create bachelor’s degrees and how many they can offer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The new approach has accountability metrics — colleges would be able to offer an additional two to 12 bachelor’s degrees starting in 2028 depending on their students’ certificate, degree and transfer-completion rates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>No college district could propose more than three new degrees per year, and districts would need to prove that there’s a workforce need in their region to justify the creation of a bachelor’s degree.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s a claim the state’s labor secretary would step in to validate if the California State University system objects, as has regularly occurred in the pitched policy disputes \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/08/bachelors-degrees/\">between the community colleges and the university\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>The rules would apply to new degrees offered after 2028; existing community college bachelor’s degrees are grandfathered in. Today, 49 colleges \u003ca href=\"https://www.cccco.edu/About-Us/Chancellors-Office/Divisions/Educational-Services-and-Support/What-we-do/Curriculum-and-Instruction-Unit/Curriculum/Baccalaureate-Degree-Program\">either offer or will soon\u003c/a> offer 66 bachelor’s degrees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cabaldon called the bills a breakthrough that would bring long-sought clarity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This will give us peace,” he said in a phone interview. “That doesn’t mean everybody’s going to agree all of the time, but it does mean the endless war and bickering and fighting and more and more legislation will come to an end.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Community college leaders said the amendments are too last-minute, too unclear and too complicated, even if they appreciate the effort by the Legislature to wrangle the thorny issues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re being asked to … support a process that is not completely understood or vetted at the last minute, and so that’s just not great policymaking,” said Larry Galizio, president and CEO of the Community College League of California, an association representing community college presidents and board leaders. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-bachelor-s-degrees-have-been-so-contentious\">Why bachelor’s degrees have been so contentious\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The community colleges’ sudden shift is another turn in an effort that has produced near-constant turmoil. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Historically, the community colleges and Cal State have clashed over which bachelor’s degrees the colleges can teach. A 2021 state law was supposed to establish peace in the realm, but the colleges and Cal State regularly disagreed on a key concept — degree duplication. That law said the colleges couldn’t create bachelor’s degrees that are already offered by any Cal State or University of California campus, even if a community college is hundreds of miles from the nearest public university. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Colleges and several lawmakers called that an unfair arrangement, since many community college students can’t relocate to a distant university. In some instances, community colleges created those degrees anyway, \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2026/california-community-colleges-approve-3-new-bachelors-degrees-over-california-state-university-objections/751678\">over the objections of the Cal State system\u003c/a>, EdSource reported.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211.jpg\" alt=\"When researchers took a close look at transcripts for thousands of California community college students, they discovered an encouraging trend in enrollment for undocumented students.\" class=\"wp-image-11714155\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/GettyImages-494862297-e1545347957211-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The community colleges are generally barred from duplicating a degree a UC campus offers. (Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images for UCLA)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Backers and foes of more bachelor’s degrees at community colleges point to competing data.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A recent report found that \u003ca href=\"https://rpgroup.org/Portals/0/Documents/Projects/Exploring_Geographic_Isolation_Barrier_Equitable_Transfer_Outcomes/DistanceMatters_ExploringGeographicBarriers_November2024.pdf?ver=2024-12-20-201519-053\">29 of the state’s 116 community colleges\u003c/a> are located at least 25 miles from a public university. Their students are “place-bound” or can’t easily move from the area their community colleges serve. Roughly 157,000 students attend these colleges.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/01/community-colleges-california-2/#:~:text=Southwestern%20College%20student%20Marilynn%20Palomino%20is\">Some students say\u003c/a> they need their local community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees because local employers want those — certificates or associate degrees aren’t enough. But under existing law, those colleges cannot provide them because a Cal State 500 miles away offers that degree already.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>On the other hand, community colleges post low transfer rates — just 21% of students who wanted to transfer do so after four years, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.auditor.ca.gov/reports/2023-123/\">state auditor reported\u003c/a>. This may indicate a broken transfer system that could be remedied if more colleges could offer bachelor’s. Or it may demonstrate that colleges \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/01/community-colleges-california-2/#:~:text=Community%20colleges%20have,college%20system%20chancellor.\">aren’t ready\u003c/a> to widen their academic offerings because most also post low certificate and associate degree completion rates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-the-bills-address-duplication\">How the bills address duplication\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In response, Alvarez and Cabaldon wrote comprehensive bills this year to allow colleges to create bachelor’s degrees, even if they resemble degrees already offered by Cal State campuses. The community colleges were on board with those versions while the Cal State system was opposed; the system instead wanted more streamlined pathways for students to start their studies at a community college and earn a bachelor’s at a Cal State campus. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Others in the system have feared that an expansion of community college bachelor’s degrees would siphon away students and crucial tuition revenue at a time when some Cal States \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/03/cal-state-enrollment/\">are battling enrollment declines\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088396\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California State University, Northridge, on Aug. 22, 2025. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The new combined bills allow community colleges to propose bachelor’s degrees even if a nearby Cal State offers a similar program, but only if that Cal State program admits fewer than 75% of applicants from that nearby community college for three consecutive years. The community college would still need to submit a workforce needs report and be governed by the degree caps also spelled out in the bills. That workforce need could be that employers are having difficulty filling positions that require a bachelor’s degree, the two bills say.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>And unlike the current policy, in which there’s no arbiter to settle an impasse between community colleges and the Cal States over duplication, a review by the state’s secretary of labor siding with the colleges would remove the Cal State system’s challenge to the degree. But districts face consequences for being wrong: If the labor secretary sides with Cal State, the district is barred from submitting an application for a similar program for five years.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>The community colleges are generally barred from duplicating a degree a UC campus offers. Only written consent from a UC would clear the way for duplication, the bills say.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-community-colleges-are-now-opposed\">Why community colleges are now opposed \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The newly created caps on the number of degrees community college districts can offer are a problem for the community college system. Districts will be judged by their student completion rates and how those rates compare to the statewide average.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>The bills “would make a district’s eligibility depend partly on how its performance\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>compares with every other district in the state,” \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/SB-960-CCCCO-Letter-of-Opposition-August-26-2026.pdf\">a letter of opposition\u003c/a> to Cabaldon reads from Sonya Christian, chancellor of California Community Colleges. “A district could improve its own student outcomes” but still have the same caps apply to them, “or even see its eligibility change simply because the statewide average changed,” she wrote.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A person walks toward a building labeled "Creative Arts" on a campus with trees, sidewalks and the street in view.\" class=\"wp-image-11968734\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/230822-CCSFCampus-01-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A student walks through the City College of San Francisco community college campus in San Francisco on Aug. 22, 2023. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Galizio of the Community College League also takes issue with the caps on degree creation. He said in an interview that campuses with low graduation rates typically serve more low-income students, the same students who need more bachelor’s degrees to get a leg up in the workforce.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But not all community college leaders think the bills are bad for their campuses, including Jose Fierro, president/superintendent of the Cerritos Community College District. Based on his college’s completion rates, he thinks he’ll be permitted to add a total of six to eight new bachelor’s degrees starting in 2028. That’s plenty for now, he said. The school has two now and plans to launch more in 2027.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“We are not trying to become a university. It’s not our mission. We’re trying to align with industry and provide pathways for social and economic mobility for our students,” he said in an interview. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But just because the bills aren’t a problem for him doesn’t mean it’s not a problem for the system. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“For some of us this is workable,” he said. For other colleges, “this is going to bring some additional challenges.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "last-minute-california-camping-labor-day-holiday-weekend-cancellation-policy-no-show",
"title": "California Has New Camping Cancellation Rules. Are They Working?",
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"headTitle": "California Has New Camping Cancellation Rules. Are They Working? | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>After two months, it looks like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california-state-parks\">California State Parks\u003c/a>’ new campsite reservation policies — with greater penalties for last-minute cancellations and no-shows — have already begun to affect campers’ behavior.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mike Lee, the creator of last-minute campsite booking app Campsite Tonight, said he’s already seeing glimpses — however small initially — of the effect of the state’s policy change.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It just says: People have seen the news,” he said. “They do know that if they cancel too late, they don’t get any money back.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=31977\">new rules\u003c/a> introduced in July, which apply to all California State Parks, any reservation canceled seven or more days in advance will be refunded, minus an $8.25 processing fee. Between six and two days before your arrival, you will also lose the first night’s fee. Within two days, there will be no refund at all. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12079261\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Josh Dillen and reporter Sarah Wright begin setting up a tent at a campsite at Anthony Chabot Family Campground on April 5, 2026, in Castro Valley, California. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if you no-show three times within a calendar year, State Parks says it will ban your account from placing new reservations for one year. This is a change from prior policy, which was much more lenient and would refund no-shows their entire reservation cost minus the first night.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lee said he’s encouraged by the results he’s seeing from Campsite Tonight’s data. He found that more people — around 76% — are canceling more than a week out from their reservation under the new policy. Before the introduction of the policy, he said, that number was closer to just 70%. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cancellations within six days of one’s reservation have also decreased by around 5%, Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump to: \u003ca href=\"#cancellation\">How you can score California camping cancellations\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s nice that you can see a little bit of a trend shifting towards canceling earlier and getting more of your money back,” he said — although he concedes the impact so far is “a little shift, but it’s not, like, humongous.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The new policy, which was passed in the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB618\">state Legislature\u003c/a>, is \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=31977\">intended to encourage\u003c/a> early cancellations so that sites can be rebooked rather than sit empty.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California State Parks says it is still in the process of gathering and verifying its own data, but that the transition to a new policy has been “successful,” spokesperson Adeline Yee said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are seeing that customers will cancel their reservation, even if they are no longer eligible for a refund,” said Yee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cancellation\">Timely cancellations create camping opportunities for others\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This week, ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend, Lee said his data showed that nearly 300 two- or three-night reservations at popular state and federal sites in California were canceled ahead of the three-day weekend — making them available to prospective last-minute campers across popular parks in the state. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s not even including the one-night trips that were canceled, which Lee said make up a majority of reservations and cancellations for California campsites. His analysis also excludes all the last-minute cancellations due to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097092/timber-fire-big-sur-highway-1-closed-again-wildfire-map-evacuation-august-2026\">fires around Big Sur\u003c/a> that are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096539/going-camping-during-fire-season-heres-what-to-know\">forcing people to abandon their camping plans\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/CampingGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12052998\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/CampingGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/CampingGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/CampingGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A woman takes in the view of Half Dome at sunrise while camping in the mountains on Jan. 6, 2015. (Jordan Siemens/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There \u003cem>are \u003c/em>opportunities to go last-minute,” Lee said. “You just have to be open to it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Compared to federal campgrounds, California State Parks saw a lower percentage of last-minute campsite cancellations, according to the Campsite Tonight data — which Lee said indicates to him that campers are getting the message from the state.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, it will probably take more time to see a more full picture, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It really depends on how the enforcement of the three no-shows [rule] takes place,” Lee noted, adding that “people who like to skirt the rules are pretty easy at finding the loophole.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State Parks’ Yee said when no-shows happen, park staff are marking them in their system, and anyone whose account is at risk of being restricted will be notified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prior to the policy change, Lee said, the relative cost of a State Parks campsite — around $30 per night — was likely low enough that people were just no-showing and eating that money without formally canceling.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People like to have the optionality,” he said. “There’s very little penalty.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The way to California campsite cancellation\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The big thing to know: When someone cancels their reservation at a California state park, it doesn’t become available right away on reservecalifornia.com. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, the campsite goes into a queue to be released the following day at 8 a.m. PT.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So if you’re interested in a particular campground or campsite, your best bet is to check each morning at 8 a.m. for any new availability. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Or, if you’re not attached to where you’re going, you can use a website like \u003ca href=\"https://campsitetonight.app/california-releasing-sites\">Lee’s\u003c/a>, which lists upcoming available sites for your browsing pleasure.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It just says: People have seen the news,” he said. “They do know that if they cancel too late, they don’t get any money back.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Under the \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=31977\">new rules\u003c/a> introduced in July, which apply to all California State Parks, any reservation canceled seven or more days in advance will be refunded, minus an $8.25 processing fee. Between six and two days before your arrival, you will also lose the first night’s fee. Within two days, there will be no refund at all. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12079261\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Josh Dillen and reporter Sarah Wright begin setting up a tent at a campsite at Anthony Chabot Family Campground on April 5, 2026, in Castro Valley, California.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12079261\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Josh Dillen and reporter Sarah Wright begin setting up a tent at a campsite at Anthony Chabot Family Campground on April 5, 2026, in Castro Valley, California.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And if you no-show three times within a calendar year, State Parks says it will ban your account from placing new reservations for one year. This is a change from prior policy, which was much more lenient and would refund no-shows their entire reservation cost minus the first night.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And if you no-show three times within a calendar year, State Parks says it will ban your account from placing new reservations for one year. This is a change from prior policy, which was much more lenient and would refund no-shows their entire reservation cost minus the first night.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lee said he’s encouraged by the results he’s seeing from Campsite Tonight’s data. He found that more people — around 76% — are canceling more than a week out from their reservation under the new policy. Before the introduction of the policy, he said, that number was closer to just 70%. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Lee said he’s encouraged by the results he’s seeing from Campsite Tonight’s data. He found that more people — around 76% — are canceling more than a week out from their reservation under the new policy. Before the introduction of the policy, he said, that number was closer to just 70%. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cancellations within six days of one’s reservation have also decreased by around 5%, Lee said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump to: \u003ca href=\"#cancellation\">How you can score California camping cancellations\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump to: \u003ca href=\"#cancellation\">How you can score California camping cancellations\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s nice that you can see a little bit of a trend shifting towards canceling earlier and getting more of your money back,” he said — although he concedes the impact so far is “a little shift, but it’s not, like, humongous.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s nice that you can see a little bit of a trend shifting towards canceling earlier and getting more of your money back,” he said — although he concedes the impact so far is “a little shift, but it’s not, like, humongous.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The new policy, which was passed in the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB618\">state Legislature\u003c/a>, is \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=31977\">intended to encourage\u003c/a> early cancellations so that sites can be rebooked rather than sit empty.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The new policy, which was passed in the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB618\">state Legislature\u003c/a>, is \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=31977\">intended to encourage\u003c/a> early cancellations so that sites can be rebooked rather than sit empty.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California State Parks says it is still in the process of gathering and verifying its own data, but that the transition to a new policy has been “successful,” spokesperson Adeline Yee said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California State Parks says it is still in the process of gathering and verifying its own data, but that the transition to a new policy has been “successful,” spokesperson Adeline Yee said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are seeing that customers will cancel their reservation, even if they are no longer eligible for a refund,” said Yee.\u003c/p>\n",
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"text": "Timely cancellations create camping opportunities for others",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This week, ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend, Lee said his data showed that nearly 300 two- or three-night reservations at popular state and federal sites in California were canceled ahead of the three-day weekend — making them available to prospective last-minute campers across popular parks in the state. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This week, ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend, Lee said his data showed that nearly 300 two- or three-night reservations at popular state and federal sites in California were canceled ahead of the three-day weekend — making them available to prospective last-minute campers across popular parks in the state. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s not even including the one-night trips that were canceled, which Lee said make up a majority of reservations and cancellations for California campsites. His analysis also excludes all the last-minute cancellations due to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097092/timber-fire-big-sur-highway-1-closed-again-wildfire-map-evacuation-august-2026\">fires around Big Sur\u003c/a> that are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096539/going-camping-during-fire-season-heres-what-to-know\">forcing people to abandon their camping plans\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That’s not even including the one-night trips that were canceled, which Lee said make up a majority of reservations and cancellations for California campsites. His analysis also excludes all the last-minute cancellations due to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097092/timber-fire-big-sur-highway-1-closed-again-wildfire-map-evacuation-august-2026\">fires around Big Sur\u003c/a> that are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096539/going-camping-during-fire-season-heres-what-to-know\">forcing people to abandon their camping plans\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/CampingGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12052998\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/CampingGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/CampingGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/CampingGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A woman takes in the view of Half Dome at sunrise while camping in the mountains on Jan. 6, 2015.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Jordan Siemens/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/CampingGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12052998\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A woman takes in the view of Half Dome at sunrise while camping in the mountains on Jan. 6, 2015.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Jordan Siemens/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There \u003cem>are \u003c/em>opportunities to go last-minute,” Lee said. “You just have to be open to it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There \u003cem>are \u003c/em>opportunities to go last-minute,” Lee said. “You just have to be open to it.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Compared to federal campgrounds, California State Parks saw a lower percentage of last-minute campsite cancellations, according to the Campsite Tonight data — which Lee said indicates to him that campers are getting the message from the state.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Compared to federal campgrounds, California State Parks saw a lower percentage of last-minute campsite cancellations, according to the Campsite Tonight data — which Lee said indicates to him that campers are getting the message from the state.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Still, it will probably take more time to see a more full picture, he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It really depends on how the enforcement of the three no-shows [rule] takes place,” Lee noted, adding that “people who like to skirt the rules are pretty easy at finding the loophole.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It really depends on how the enforcement of the three no-shows [rule] takes place,” Lee noted, adding that “people who like to skirt the rules are pretty easy at finding the loophole.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>State Parks’ Yee said when no-shows happen, park staff are marking them in their system, and anyone whose account is at risk of being restricted will be notified. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>State Parks’ Yee said when no-shows happen, park staff are marking them in their system, and anyone whose account is at risk of being restricted will be notified. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prior to the policy change, Lee said, the relative cost of a State Parks campsite — around $30 per night — was likely low enough that people were just no-showing and eating that money without formally canceling.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Prior to the policy change, Lee said, the relative cost of a State Parks campsite — around $30 per night — was likely low enough that people were just no-showing and eating that money without formally canceling.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“People like to have the optionality,” he said. “There’s very little penalty.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“People like to have the optionality,” he said. “There’s very little penalty.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The way to California campsite cancellation\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The big thing to know: When someone cancels their reservation at a California state park, it doesn’t become available right away on reservecalifornia.com. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Instead, the campsite goes into a queue to be released the following day at 8 a.m. PT.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So if you’re interested in a particular campground or campsite, your best bet is to check each morning at 8 a.m. for any new availability. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>So if you’re interested in a particular campground or campsite, your best bet is to check each morning at 8 a.m. for any new availability. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Or, if you’re not attached to where you’re going, you can use a website like \u003ca href=\"https://campsitetonight.app/california-releasing-sites\">Lee’s\u003c/a>, which lists upcoming available sites for your browsing pleasure.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Or, if you’re not attached to where you’re going, you can use a website like \u003ca href=\"https://campsitetonight.app/california-releasing-sites\">Lee’s\u003c/a>, which lists upcoming available sites for your browsing pleasure.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Early signs show campers are canceling sooner, freeing up last-minute bookings for others.\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>After two months, it looks like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california-state-parks\">California State Parks\u003c/a>’ new campsite reservation policies — with greater penalties for last-minute cancellations and no-shows — have already begun to affect campers’ behavior.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mike Lee, the creator of last-minute campsite booking app Campsite Tonight, said he’s already seeing glimpses — however small initially — of the effect of the state’s policy change.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It just says: People have seen the news,” he said. “They do know that if they cancel too late, they don’t get any money back.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=31977\">new rules\u003c/a> introduced in July, which apply to all California State Parks, any reservation canceled seven or more days in advance will be refunded, minus an $8.25 processing fee. Between six and two days before your arrival, you will also lose the first night’s fee. Within two days, there will be no refund at all. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12079261\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Josh Dillen and reporter Sarah Wright begin setting up a tent at a campsite at Anthony Chabot Family Campground on April 5, 2026, in Castro Valley, California. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if you no-show three times within a calendar year, State Parks says it will ban your account from placing new reservations for one year. This is a change from prior policy, which was much more lenient and would refund no-shows their entire reservation cost minus the first night.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lee said he’s encouraged by the results he’s seeing from Campsite Tonight’s data. He found that more people — around 76% — are canceling more than a week out from their reservation under the new policy. Before the introduction of the policy, he said, that number was closer to just 70%. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cancellations within six days of one’s reservation have also decreased by around 5%, Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump to: \u003ca href=\"#cancellation\">How you can score California camping cancellations\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s nice that you can see a little bit of a trend shifting towards canceling earlier and getting more of your money back,” he said — although he concedes the impact so far is “a little shift, but it’s not, like, humongous.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The new policy, which was passed in the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB618\">state Legislature\u003c/a>, is \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=31977\">intended to encourage\u003c/a> early cancellations so that sites can be rebooked rather than sit empty.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California State Parks says it is still in the process of gathering and verifying its own data, but that the transition to a new policy has been “successful,” spokesperson Adeline Yee said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are seeing that customers will cancel their reservation, even if they are no longer eligible for a refund,” said Yee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cancellation\">Timely cancellations create camping opportunities for others\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This week, ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend, Lee said his data showed that nearly 300 two- or three-night reservations at popular state and federal sites in California were canceled ahead of the three-day weekend — making them available to prospective last-minute campers across popular parks in the state. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s not even including the one-night trips that were canceled, which Lee said make up a majority of reservations and cancellations for California campsites. His analysis also excludes all the last-minute cancellations due to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097092/timber-fire-big-sur-highway-1-closed-again-wildfire-map-evacuation-august-2026\">fires around Big Sur\u003c/a> that are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096539/going-camping-during-fire-season-heres-what-to-know\">forcing people to abandon their camping plans\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/CampingGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12052998\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/CampingGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/CampingGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/CampingGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A woman takes in the view of Half Dome at sunrise while camping in the mountains on Jan. 6, 2015. (Jordan Siemens/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There \u003cem>are \u003c/em>opportunities to go last-minute,” Lee said. “You just have to be open to it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Compared to federal campgrounds, California State Parks saw a lower percentage of last-minute campsite cancellations, according to the Campsite Tonight data — which Lee said indicates to him that campers are getting the message from the state.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, it will probably take more time to see a more full picture, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It really depends on how the enforcement of the three no-shows [rule] takes place,” Lee noted, adding that “people who like to skirt the rules are pretty easy at finding the loophole.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State Parks’ Yee said when no-shows happen, park staff are marking them in their system, and anyone whose account is at risk of being restricted will be notified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prior to the policy change, Lee said, the relative cost of a State Parks campsite — around $30 per night — was likely low enough that people were just no-showing and eating that money without formally canceling.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People like to have the optionality,” he said. “There’s very little penalty.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The way to California campsite cancellation\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The big thing to know: When someone cancels their reservation at a California state park, it doesn’t become available right away on reservecalifornia.com. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, the campsite goes into a queue to be released the following day at 8 a.m. PT.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So if you’re interested in a particular campground or campsite, your best bet is to check each morning at 8 a.m. for any new availability. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Or, if you’re not attached to where you’re going, you can use a website like \u003ca href=\"https://campsitetonight.app/california-releasing-sites\">Lee’s\u003c/a>, which lists upcoming available sites for your browsing pleasure.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "lawmakers-send-immigration-detention-bills-to-gov-newsom",
"title": "Lawmakers Send Immigration Detention Bills to Gov. Newsom",
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"headTitle": "Lawmakers Send Immigration Detention Bills to Gov. Newsom | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>California’s Legislature this week sent a slew of bills to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk that aim to increase \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096334/as-ice-custody-deaths-rise-state-bill-would-force-release-of-911-call-data\">oversight\u003c/a> of federal immigration detention in the state. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislation comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097313/northern-california-ice-arrests-surged-this-summer\">record number of Californians\u003c/a>, and six people have died at ICE facilities in the state — among at least \u003ca href=\"https://www.ice.gov/detain/detainee-death-reporting\">56 nationwide\u003c/a> — since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bills, all authored by Democrats, include measures to increase transparency into the conditions inside immigration jails, expand the state’s power to enforce detention standards and restrict construction of new detention facilities. One bill would impose a tax on for-profit detention companies. Another would cap the profits companies can make from marking up items sold in commissaries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Four of the bills have the backing of California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who said the measures are a response to the Trump administration’s push for mass detention and deportation of immigrants. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2290506003-1-scaled-e1787755545663.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096824\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks to reporters at a press conference after opening arguments took place in the Meta trial over a lawsuit brought by U.S. states about social media addiction, at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland, California, on Aug. 18, 2026. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These all help address the cruel and inhumane approach, and sometimes the unlawful conduct in terms of treatment, that’s been directed toward immigrants in California,” Bonta said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The new legislation builds on a series of laws California lawmakers passed during the first Trump administration, said Hamid Yazdan Panah, co-director of the Sacramento-based Immigrant Defense Advocates, which helped craft several of the bills.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“California has really led the nation now for more than a decade with respect to providing meaningful avenues to try to push back on the expansion of immigration detention and also to try to find ways to support immigrant communities that are targeted by ICE enforcement,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In July, the Trump administration \u003ca href=\"https://deportationdata.org/index.html\">arrested nearly 50,000 immigrants\u003c/a> across the country, including close to 4,300 in California, according to ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley. Both figures broke records dating back to at least the Obama era, analysts say. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>ICE is currently holding nearly 66,000 people in custody. Fewer than 30% of them have a criminal record. \u003ca href=\"https://deportationdata.org/index.html\">More than 6,800\u003c/a> people are housed in detention centers in California. Three corrections companies — GEO Group, CoreCivic, and Management & Training Corp. — operate all eight ICE facilities in California, most of them former prisons. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yazdan Panah highlighted one bill that would create a “bill of rights,” setting basic standards for humane treatment for all people in civil detention in California and empowering the attorney general power to enforce it with penalties and legal action.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration says that conditions in detention are already humane. In an emailed statement, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson who did not identify themself said “California sanctuary politicians” are unfairly villainizing federal law enforcement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“All detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers,” the spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bonta called that “an outright lie,” and said state inspections have found conditions that are both cruel and unsafe.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/CORECIVICCALCITY1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12046564\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/CORECIVICCALCITY1-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/CORECIVICCALCITY1-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/CORECIVICCALCITY1-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The CoreCivic detention facility in California City, California, on June 28, 2025. (Saul Gonzalez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That’s why these bills are important because we know what the reality is,” he said. “We know what immigrants who are in detention centers are experiencing because we went in there and talked to them. … And we know that they need a bill of rights to keep them safe.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When asked for comment on the legislation, CoreCivic’s public affairs director Ryan Gustin said his company is aware of the bills and is reviewing them. Management & Training Corp. declined to comment, saying ICE wanted to handle media inquiries. GEO Group did not respond to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Here are some of the bills:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1399\">\u003cstrong>SB 1399\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Detention Facility Oversight\u003c/strong>, from Los Angeles Sen. María Elena Durazo, would extend the existing power of the state Department of Justice to inspect immigration detention facilities in California beyond 2027, when the inspection program established by an earlier law, AB 103, was due to sunset. The bill is co-sponsored by Attorney General Bonta.\u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB942\">\u003cstrong>SB 942\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Civil Detainees’ Bill of Rights\u003c/strong>, from Central Valley Sen. Anna Caballero, would establish a bill of rights for people held for civil immigration proceedings in any state, local or private detention facility in California. For other civilly detained people in the state, it would extend protections that are already recognized, including the rights to dignity, privacy, prompt medical and mental health treatment, freedom from unnecessary restraint and isolation, access to religious practice, exercise, clean water and sanitary facilities, and good-quality food. The attorney general would be authorized to investigate and enforce violations through civil legal actions and penalties. Bonta is a co-sponsor.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1403\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/FamilySeparationGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12060144\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/FamilySeparationGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/FamilySeparationGetty2-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/FamilySeparationGetty2-1536x1078.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters stand outside the James A. Musick Facility, a detention center that houses unauthorized immigrants, to protest President Trump’s immigration policies and demand children be reunited with their families in Irvine, California, on June 30, 2018. (Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Caballero pointed to the mounting deaths in detention and the fact that immigrants can be held for months or years as their cases play out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I oppose mass detention, and no amount of oversight makes family separation and incarceration for civil violations justifiable,” she said. “These people are our neighbors, workers, parents, grandparents, coaches, churchgoers and volunteers. They deserve better.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB941\">\u003cstrong>SB 941\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Commissary Protection, \u003c/strong>from San Diego Sen. Steve Padilla, would bar for-profit detention facilities from marking up commissary items by more than 35% above the vendor price. That would mirror the cap that applies in state-run correctional facilities. Advocates say it would address what they consider price gouging on essential goods like sanitary items and supplemental food. It has Bonta’s backing.\u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB957\">\u003cstrong>SB 957\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Protecting Vulnerable Immigrant Detainees\u003c/strong>, from Pasadena Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, would require the California attorney general to submit an annual health and safety oversight plan for private civil detention facilities. It would align oversight of private detention with the state’s existing authority to monitor health and safety at state and local facilities.\u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB423\">\u003cstrong>SB 423\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Detention Facility Transparency, \u003c/strong>from Long Beach Sen. Lena Gonzalez, would require state and local agencies to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096334/as-ice-custody-deaths-rise-state-bill-would-force-release-of-911-call-data\">disclose records related to 911 calls\u003c/a> from private detention facilities. She said increasing public access to emergency call records would improve accountability, in the face of concerns over medical neglect and violence inside detention centers. The bill is supported by press-freedom groups, including the First Amendment Coalition. \u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/GettyImages-450371215-scaled-e1769711263847.jpg\" alt=\"On a modern, low-slung building with no windows, a big sign reading 'GEO' hangs on an exterior wall.\" class=\"wp-image-11891235\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This U.S. immigration processing center in Adelanto, California, is operated by GEO Group, a Florida-based company specializing in privatized corrections. (John Moore/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Several other bills seek to restrict ICE’s operations in California in other ways.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1633\">\u003cstrong>AB 1633\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Private Detention Facility Tax\u003c/strong>, from San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney, would impose an annual 25% tax on the gross income of private detention facility operators in California. \u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some analysts question whether the courts would consider such a tax legal or an “undue burden” on the federal government, which contracts with the companies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“States do have autonomy to tax what’s going on in their borders. But states can’t tax the federal government,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, a constitutional law scholar who is dean at UC Berkeley Law School. “It’ll certainly get challenged. The question is, is it unduly interfering with federal activity?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1801\">\u003cstrong>AB 1801\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Public Agency Detention Permitting\u003c/strong>, from South Bay Assemblymember Alex Lee, would stiffen the requirements in an existing California law, called SB 29, that requires notice and public hearings before local governments can permit a private detention facility or transfer land for one. Advocates say it would strengthen transparency in the permitting process.\u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1367\">\u003cstrong>SB 1367\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Detention Planning and Zoning\u003c/strong>, from Inland Empire Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, would prohibit cities and counties from approving new land uses that allow constructing detention facilities or converting existing buildings into detention centers. It would target structures not built for human habitation, such as warehouses and industrial buildings.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition, a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1194\">bill\u003c/a> from Sen. Caballero would build on a legal fellowship program that trains new attorneys in immigration law and places them in nonprofits located in rural areas of the state that lack sufficient immigration legal services. Attorney General Bonta is a co-sponsor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco Sen. Scott Wiener has authored a bill, dubbed the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB747\">No Kings Act\u003c/a>, that would allow people to sue local, state and federal officers, including immigration agents, in state court if they believe their rights have been violated. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1760\" height=\"1174\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ice-badge-69a05cdd559c5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12074725\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ice-badge-69a05cdd559c5.jpg 1760w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ice-badge-69a05cdd559c5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ice-badge-69a05cdd559c5-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1760px) 100vw, 1760px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A federal agent wears an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge on June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chemerinsky said he believes the bill would stand up in court: “I think that is clearly constitutional because it’s not targeting just the federal government.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2760\">bill\u003c/a> from San Diego Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins would bar law enforcement officers from using any wearable device that can deliver electric shocks, and it would block the use of state funds to purchase them. That comes in response to recent news that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097332/california-democrats-race-to-ban-electric-shock-gloves-before-ice-buys-them\">ICE was planning to buy thousands\u003c/a> of Taser-like gloves.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The governor has until the end of September to sign or veto the bills on his desk.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bonta said he had not spoken directly with the governor about the bills he has sponsored, but was optimistic that Newsom would sign them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If the bills become law, Chemerinsky said he expects swift legal challenges by the Trump administration and the private prison companies. The Berkeley dean called state legislation an important tool at a time when, as he sees it, the Trump administration is violating constitutional laws to a degree that’s never been seen in U.S. history. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“One of the genius aspects of the American system of government, of federalism, is that, if one level of government fails, another can step in,” he said. “What California is trying to do is to step in so as to protect the rights of people in the state where the federal government is infringing them.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The legislation comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097313/northern-california-ice-arrests-surged-this-summer\">record number of Californians\u003c/a>, and six people have died at ICE facilities in the state — among at least \u003ca href=\"https://www.ice.gov/detain/detainee-death-reporting\">56 nationwide\u003c/a> — since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The bills, all authored by Democrats, include measures to increase transparency into the conditions inside immigration jails, expand the state’s power to enforce detention standards and restrict construction of new detention facilities. One bill would impose a tax on for-profit detention companies. Another would cap the profits companies can make from marking up items sold in commissaries.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The bills, all authored by Democrats, include measures to increase transparency into the conditions inside immigration jails, expand the state’s power to enforce detention standards and restrict construction of new detention facilities. One bill would impose a tax on for-profit detention companies. Another would cap the profits companies can make from marking up items sold in commissaries.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Four of the bills have the backing of California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who said the measures are a response to the Trump administration’s push for mass detention and deportation of immigrants. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2290506003-1-scaled-e1787755545663.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096824\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks to reporters at a press conference after opening arguments took place in the Meta trial over a lawsuit brought by U.S. states about social media addiction, at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland, California, on Aug. 18, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Godofredo A. Vasquez/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2290506003-1-scaled-e1787755545663.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096824\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks to reporters at a press conference after opening arguments took place in the Meta trial over a lawsuit brought by U.S. states about social media addiction, at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland, California, on Aug. 18, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Godofredo A. Vasquez/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“These all help address the cruel and inhumane approach, and sometimes the unlawful conduct in terms of treatment, that’s been directed toward immigrants in California,” Bonta said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“These all help address the cruel and inhumane approach, and sometimes the unlawful conduct in terms of treatment, that’s been directed toward immigrants in California,” Bonta said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The new legislation builds on a series of laws California lawmakers passed during the first Trump administration, said Hamid Yazdan Panah, co-director of the Sacramento-based Immigrant Defense Advocates, which helped craft several of the bills.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The new legislation builds on a series of laws California lawmakers passed during the first Trump administration, said Hamid Yazdan Panah, co-director of the Sacramento-based Immigrant Defense Advocates, which helped craft several of the bills.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“California has really led the nation now for more than a decade with respect to providing meaningful avenues to try to push back on the expansion of immigration detention and also to try to find ways to support immigrant communities that are targeted by ICE enforcement,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“California has really led the nation now for more than a decade with respect to providing meaningful avenues to try to push back on the expansion of immigration detention and also to try to find ways to support immigrant communities that are targeted by ICE enforcement,” he said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In July, the Trump administration \u003ca href=\"https://deportationdata.org/index.html\">arrested nearly 50,000 immigrants\u003c/a> across the country, including close to 4,300 in California, according to ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley. Both figures broke records dating back to at least the Obama era, analysts say. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In July, the Trump administration \u003ca href=\"https://deportationdata.org/index.html\">arrested nearly 50,000 immigrants\u003c/a> across the country, including close to 4,300 in California, according to ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley. Both figures broke records dating back to at least the Obama era, analysts say. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>ICE is currently holding nearly 66,000 people in custody. Fewer than 30% of them have a criminal record. \u003ca href=\"https://deportationdata.org/index.html\">More than 6,800\u003c/a> people are housed in detention centers in California. Three corrections companies — GEO Group, CoreCivic, and Management & Training Corp. — operate all eight ICE facilities in California, most of them former prisons. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>ICE is currently holding nearly 66,000 people in custody. Fewer than 30% of them have a criminal record. \u003ca href=\"https://deportationdata.org/index.html\">More than 6,800\u003c/a> people are housed in detention centers in California. Three corrections companies — GEO Group, CoreCivic, and Management & Training Corp. — operate all eight ICE facilities in California, most of them former prisons. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yazdan Panah highlighted one bill that would create a “bill of rights,” setting basic standards for humane treatment for all people in civil detention in California and empowering the attorney general power to enforce it with penalties and legal action.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Yazdan Panah highlighted one bill that would create a “bill of rights,” setting basic standards for humane treatment for all people in civil detention in California and empowering the attorney general power to enforce it with penalties and legal action.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Trump administration says that conditions in detention are already humane. In an emailed statement, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson who did not identify themself said “California sanctuary politicians” are unfairly villainizing federal law enforcement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Trump administration says that conditions in detention are already humane. In an emailed statement, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson who did not identify themself said “California sanctuary politicians” are unfairly villainizing federal law enforcement. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“All detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers,” the spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“All detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers,” the spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bonta called that “an outright lie,” and said state inspections have found conditions that are both cruel and unsafe.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Bonta called that “an outright lie,” and said state inspections have found conditions that are both cruel and unsafe.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/CORECIVICCALCITY1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12046564\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/CORECIVICCALCITY1-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/CORECIVICCALCITY1-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/CORECIVICCALCITY1-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The CoreCivic detention facility in California City, California, on June 28, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Saul Gonzalez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/CORECIVICCALCITY1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12046564\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The CoreCivic detention facility in California City, California, on June 28, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Saul Gonzalez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That’s why these bills are important because we know what the reality is,” he said. “We know what immigrants who are in detention centers are experiencing because we went in there and talked to them. … And we know that they need a bill of rights to keep them safe.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“That’s why these bills are important because we know what the reality is,” he said. “We know what immigrants who are in detention centers are experiencing because we went in there and talked to them. … And we know that they need a bill of rights to keep them safe.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When asked for comment on the legislation, CoreCivic’s public affairs director Ryan Gustin said his company is aware of the bills and is reviewing them. Management & Training Corp. declined to comment, saying ICE wanted to handle media inquiries. GEO Group did not respond to KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>When asked for comment on the legislation, CoreCivic’s public affairs director Ryan Gustin said his company is aware of the bills and is reviewing them. Management & Training Corp. declined to comment, saying ICE wanted to handle media inquiries. GEO Group did not respond to KQED.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Here are some of the bills:\u003c/p>\n",
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"SB 1399 Detention Facility Oversight, from Los Angeles Sen. María Elena Durazo, would extend the existing power of the state Department of Justice to inspect immigration detention facilities in California beyond 2027, when the inspection program established by an earlier law, AB 103, was due to sunset. The bill is co-sponsored by Attorney General Bonta.",
"SB 942 Civil Detainees’ Bill of Rights, from Central Valley Sen. Anna Caballero, would establish a bill of rights for people held for civil immigration proceedings in any state, local or private detention facility in California. For other civilly detained people in the state, it would extend protections that are already recognized, including the rights to dignity, privacy, prompt medical and mental health treatment, freedom from unnecessary restraint and isolation, access to religious practice, exercise, clean water and sanitary facilities, and good-quality food. The attorney general would be authorized to investigate and enforce violations through civil legal actions and penalties. Bonta is a co-sponsor."
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1399\">\u003cstrong>SB 1399\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Detention Facility Oversight\u003c/strong>, from Los Angeles Sen. María Elena Durazo, would extend the existing power of the state Department of Justice to inspect immigration detention facilities in California beyond 2027, when the inspection program established by an earlier law, AB 103, was due to sunset. The bill is co-sponsored by Attorney General Bonta.\u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1399\">\u003cstrong>SB 1399\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Detention Facility Oversight\u003c/strong>, from Los Angeles Sen. María Elena Durazo, would extend the existing power of the state Department of Justice to inspect immigration detention facilities in California beyond 2027, when the inspection program established by an earlier law, AB 103, was due to sunset. The bill is co-sponsored by Attorney General Bonta.\u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB942\">\u003cstrong>SB 942\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Civil Detainees’ Bill of Rights\u003c/strong>, from Central Valley Sen. Anna Caballero, would establish a bill of rights for people held for civil immigration proceedings in any state, local or private detention facility in California. For other civilly detained people in the state, it would extend protections that are already recognized, including the rights to dignity, privacy, prompt medical and mental health treatment, freedom from unnecessary restraint and isolation, access to religious practice, exercise, clean water and sanitary facilities, and good-quality food. The attorney general would be authorized to investigate and enforce violations through civil legal actions and penalties. Bonta is a co-sponsor.\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB942\">\u003cstrong>SB 942\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Civil Detainees’ Bill of Rights\u003c/strong>, from Central Valley Sen. Anna Caballero, would establish a bill of rights for people held for civil immigration proceedings in any state, local or private detention facility in California. For other civilly detained people in the state, it would extend protections that are already recognized, including the rights to dignity, privacy, prompt medical and mental health treatment, freedom from unnecessary restraint and isolation, access to religious practice, exercise, clean water and sanitary facilities, and good-quality food. The attorney general would be authorized to investigate and enforce violations through civil legal actions and penalties. Bonta is a co-sponsor.\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/FamilySeparationGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12060144\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/FamilySeparationGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/FamilySeparationGetty2-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/FamilySeparationGetty2-1536x1078.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters stand outside the James A. Musick Facility, a detention center that houses unauthorized immigrants, to protest President Trump’s immigration policies and demand children be reunited with their families in Irvine, California, on June 30, 2018. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/FamilySeparationGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12060144\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters stand outside the James A. Musick Facility, a detention center that houses unauthorized immigrants, to protest President Trump’s immigration policies and demand children be reunited with their families in Irvine, California, on June 30, 2018. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Caballero pointed to the mounting deaths in detention and the fact that immigrants can be held for months or years as their cases play out. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I oppose mass detention, and no amount of oversight makes family separation and incarceration for civil violations justifiable,” she said. “These people are our neighbors, workers, parents, grandparents, coaches, churchgoers and volunteers. They deserve better.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"SB 941 Commissary Protection, from San Diego Sen. Steve Padilla, would bar for-profit detention facilities from marking up commissary items by more than 35% above the vendor price. That would mirror the cap that applies in state-run correctional facilities. Advocates say it would address what they consider price gouging on essential goods like sanitary items and supplemental food. It has Bonta’s backing.",
"SB 957 Protecting Vulnerable Immigrant Detainees, from Pasadena Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, would require the California attorney general to submit an annual health and safety oversight plan for private civil detention facilities. It would align oversight of private detention with the state’s existing authority to monitor health and safety at state and local facilities.",
"SB 423 Detention Facility Transparency, from Long Beach Sen. Lena Gonzalez, would require state and local agencies to disclose records related to 911 calls from private detention facilities. She said increasing public access to emergency call records would improve accountability, in the face of concerns over medical neglect and violence inside detention centers. The bill is supported by press-freedom groups, including the First Amendment Coalition. "
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB941\">\u003cstrong>SB 941\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Commissary Protection, \u003c/strong>from San Diego Sen. Steve Padilla, would bar for-profit detention facilities from marking up commissary items by more than 35% above the vendor price. That would mirror the cap that applies in state-run correctional facilities. Advocates say it would address what they consider price gouging on essential goods like sanitary items and supplemental food. It has Bonta’s backing.\u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB941\">\u003cstrong>SB 941\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Commissary Protection, \u003c/strong>from San Diego Sen. Steve Padilla, would bar for-profit detention facilities from marking up commissary items by more than 35% above the vendor price. That would mirror the cap that applies in state-run correctional facilities. Advocates say it would address what they consider price gouging on essential goods like sanitary items and supplemental food. It has Bonta’s backing.\u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB957\">\u003cstrong>SB 957\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Protecting Vulnerable Immigrant Detainees\u003c/strong>, from Pasadena Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, would require the California attorney general to submit an annual health and safety oversight plan for private civil detention facilities. It would align oversight of private detention with the state’s existing authority to monitor health and safety at state and local facilities.\u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB423\">\u003cstrong>SB 423\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Detention Facility Transparency, \u003c/strong>from Long Beach Sen. Lena Gonzalez, would require state and local agencies to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096334/as-ice-custody-deaths-rise-state-bill-would-force-release-of-911-call-data\">disclose records related to 911 calls\u003c/a> from private detention facilities. She said increasing public access to emergency call records would improve accountability, in the face of concerns over medical neglect and violence inside detention centers. The bill is supported by press-freedom groups, including the First Amendment Coalition. \u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB423\">\u003cstrong>SB 423\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Detention Facility Transparency, \u003c/strong>from Long Beach Sen. Lena Gonzalez, would require state and local agencies to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096334/as-ice-custody-deaths-rise-state-bill-would-force-release-of-911-call-data\">disclose records related to 911 calls\u003c/a> from private detention facilities. She said increasing public access to emergency call records would improve accountability, in the face of concerns over medical neglect and violence inside detention centers. The bill is supported by press-freedom groups, including the First Amendment Coalition. \u003c/li>\n"
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"alt": "On a modern, low-slung building with no windows, a big sign reading 'GEO' hangs on an exterior wall."
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/GettyImages-450371215-scaled-e1769711263847.jpg\" alt=\"On a modern, low-slung building with no windows, a big sign reading 'GEO' hangs on an exterior wall.\" class=\"wp-image-11891235\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This U.S. immigration processing center in Adelanto, California, is operated by GEO Group, a Florida-based company specializing in privatized corrections.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (John Moore/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Several other bills seek to restrict ICE’s operations in California in other ways.\u003c/p>\n",
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"AB 1633 Private Detention Facility Tax, from San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney, would impose an annual 25% tax on the gross income of private detention facility operators in California. "
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1633\">\u003cstrong>AB 1633\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Private Detention Facility Tax\u003c/strong>, from San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney, would impose an annual 25% tax on the gross income of private detention facility operators in California. \u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1633\">\u003cstrong>AB 1633\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Private Detention Facility Tax\u003c/strong>, from San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney, would impose an annual 25% tax on the gross income of private detention facility operators in California. \u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some analysts question whether the courts would consider such a tax legal or an “undue burden” on the federal government, which contracts with the companies. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“States do have autonomy to tax what’s going on in their borders. But states can’t tax the federal government,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, a constitutional law scholar who is dean at UC Berkeley Law School. “It’ll certainly get challenged. The question is, is it unduly interfering with federal activity?” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“States do have autonomy to tax what’s going on in their borders. But states can’t tax the federal government,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, a constitutional law scholar who is dean at UC Berkeley Law School. “It’ll certainly get challenged. The question is, is it unduly interfering with federal activity?” \u003c/p>\n"
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"AB 1801 Public Agency Detention Permitting, from South Bay Assemblymember Alex Lee, would stiffen the requirements in an existing California law, called SB 29, that requires notice and public hearings before local governments can permit a private detention facility or transfer land for one. Advocates say it would strengthen transparency in the permitting process.",
"SB 1367 Detention Planning and Zoning, from Inland Empire Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, would prohibit cities and counties from approving new land uses that allow constructing detention facilities or converting existing buildings into detention centers. It would target structures not built for human habitation, such as warehouses and industrial buildings."
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1801\">\u003cstrong>AB 1801\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Public Agency Detention Permitting\u003c/strong>, from South Bay Assemblymember Alex Lee, would stiffen the requirements in an existing California law, called SB 29, that requires notice and public hearings before local governments can permit a private detention facility or transfer land for one. Advocates say it would strengthen transparency in the permitting process.\u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1801\">\u003cstrong>AB 1801\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Public Agency Detention Permitting\u003c/strong>, from South Bay Assemblymember Alex Lee, would stiffen the requirements in an existing California law, called SB 29, that requires notice and public hearings before local governments can permit a private detention facility or transfer land for one. Advocates say it would strengthen transparency in the permitting process.\u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1367\">\u003cstrong>SB 1367\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Detention Planning and Zoning\u003c/strong>, from Inland Empire Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, would prohibit cities and counties from approving new land uses that allow constructing detention facilities or converting existing buildings into detention centers. It would target structures not built for human habitation, such as warehouses and industrial buildings.\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1367\">\u003cstrong>SB 1367\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Detention Planning and Zoning\u003c/strong>, from Inland Empire Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, would prohibit cities and counties from approving new land uses that allow constructing detention facilities or converting existing buildings into detention centers. It would target structures not built for human habitation, such as warehouses and industrial buildings.\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In addition, a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1194\">bill\u003c/a> from Sen. Caballero would build on a legal fellowship program that trains new attorneys in immigration law and places them in nonprofits located in rural areas of the state that lack sufficient immigration legal services. Attorney General Bonta is a co-sponsor.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco Sen. Scott Wiener has authored a bill, dubbed the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB747\">No Kings Act\u003c/a>, that would allow people to sue local, state and federal officers, including immigration agents, in state court if they believe their rights have been violated. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>San Francisco Sen. Scott Wiener has authored a bill, dubbed the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB747\">No Kings Act\u003c/a>, that would allow people to sue local, state and federal officers, including immigration agents, in state court if they believe their rights have been violated. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ice-badge-69a05cdd559c5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12074725\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ice-badge-69a05cdd559c5.jpg 1760w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ice-badge-69a05cdd559c5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ice-badge-69a05cdd559c5-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A federal agent wears an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge on June 10, 2025. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chemerinsky said he believes the bill would stand up in court: “I think that is clearly constitutional because it’s not targeting just the federal government.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2760\">bill\u003c/a> from San Diego Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins would bar law enforcement officers from using any wearable device that can deliver electric shocks, and it would block the use of state funds to purchase them. That comes in response to recent news that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097332/california-democrats-race-to-ban-electric-shock-gloves-before-ice-buys-them\">ICE was planning to buy thousands\u003c/a> of Taser-like gloves.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The governor has until the end of September to sign or veto the bills on his desk.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bonta said he had not spoken directly with the governor about the bills he has sponsored, but was optimistic that Newsom would sign them. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If the bills become law, Chemerinsky said he expects swift legal challenges by the Trump administration and the private prison companies. The Berkeley dean called state legislation an important tool at a time when, as he sees it, the Trump administration is violating constitutional laws to a degree that’s never been seen in U.S. history. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“One of the genius aspects of the American system of government, of federalism, is that, if one level of government fails, another can step in,” he said. “What California is trying to do is to step in so as to protect the rights of people in the state where the federal government is infringing them.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The bills aim to put guardrails on the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement in California.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>California’s Legislature this week sent a slew of bills to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk that aim to increase \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096334/as-ice-custody-deaths-rise-state-bill-would-force-release-of-911-call-data\">oversight\u003c/a> of federal immigration detention in the state. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislation comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097313/northern-california-ice-arrests-surged-this-summer\">record number of Californians\u003c/a>, and six people have died at ICE facilities in the state — among at least \u003ca href=\"https://www.ice.gov/detain/detainee-death-reporting\">56 nationwide\u003c/a> — since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bills, all authored by Democrats, include measures to increase transparency into the conditions inside immigration jails, expand the state’s power to enforce detention standards and restrict construction of new detention facilities. One bill would impose a tax on for-profit detention companies. Another would cap the profits companies can make from marking up items sold in commissaries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Four of the bills have the backing of California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who said the measures are a response to the Trump administration’s push for mass detention and deportation of immigrants. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2290506003-1-scaled-e1787755545663.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096824\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks to reporters at a press conference after opening arguments took place in the Meta trial over a lawsuit brought by U.S. states about social media addiction, at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland, California, on Aug. 18, 2026. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These all help address the cruel and inhumane approach, and sometimes the unlawful conduct in terms of treatment, that’s been directed toward immigrants in California,” Bonta said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The new legislation builds on a series of laws California lawmakers passed during the first Trump administration, said Hamid Yazdan Panah, co-director of the Sacramento-based Immigrant Defense Advocates, which helped craft several of the bills.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“California has really led the nation now for more than a decade with respect to providing meaningful avenues to try to push back on the expansion of immigration detention and also to try to find ways to support immigrant communities that are targeted by ICE enforcement,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In July, the Trump administration \u003ca href=\"https://deportationdata.org/index.html\">arrested nearly 50,000 immigrants\u003c/a> across the country, including close to 4,300 in California, according to ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley. Both figures broke records dating back to at least the Obama era, analysts say. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>ICE is currently holding nearly 66,000 people in custody. Fewer than 30% of them have a criminal record. \u003ca href=\"https://deportationdata.org/index.html\">More than 6,800\u003c/a> people are housed in detention centers in California. Three corrections companies — GEO Group, CoreCivic, and Management & Training Corp. — operate all eight ICE facilities in California, most of them former prisons. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yazdan Panah highlighted one bill that would create a “bill of rights,” setting basic standards for humane treatment for all people in civil detention in California and empowering the attorney general power to enforce it with penalties and legal action.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration says that conditions in detention are already humane. In an emailed statement, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson who did not identify themself said “California sanctuary politicians” are unfairly villainizing federal law enforcement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“All detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers,” the spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bonta called that “an outright lie,” and said state inspections have found conditions that are both cruel and unsafe.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/CORECIVICCALCITY1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12046564\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/CORECIVICCALCITY1-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/CORECIVICCALCITY1-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/CORECIVICCALCITY1-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The CoreCivic detention facility in California City, California, on June 28, 2025. (Saul Gonzalez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That’s why these bills are important because we know what the reality is,” he said. “We know what immigrants who are in detention centers are experiencing because we went in there and talked to them. … And we know that they need a bill of rights to keep them safe.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When asked for comment on the legislation, CoreCivic’s public affairs director Ryan Gustin said his company is aware of the bills and is reviewing them. Management & Training Corp. declined to comment, saying ICE wanted to handle media inquiries. GEO Group did not respond to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Here are some of the bills:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1399\">\u003cstrong>SB 1399\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Detention Facility Oversight\u003c/strong>, from Los Angeles Sen. María Elena Durazo, would extend the existing power of the state Department of Justice to inspect immigration detention facilities in California beyond 2027, when the inspection program established by an earlier law, AB 103, was due to sunset. The bill is co-sponsored by Attorney General Bonta.\u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB942\">\u003cstrong>SB 942\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Civil Detainees’ Bill of Rights\u003c/strong>, from Central Valley Sen. Anna Caballero, would establish a bill of rights for people held for civil immigration proceedings in any state, local or private detention facility in California. For other civilly detained people in the state, it would extend protections that are already recognized, including the rights to dignity, privacy, prompt medical and mental health treatment, freedom from unnecessary restraint and isolation, access to religious practice, exercise, clean water and sanitary facilities, and good-quality food. The attorney general would be authorized to investigate and enforce violations through civil legal actions and penalties. Bonta is a co-sponsor.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1403\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/FamilySeparationGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12060144\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/FamilySeparationGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/FamilySeparationGetty2-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/FamilySeparationGetty2-1536x1078.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters stand outside the James A. Musick Facility, a detention center that houses unauthorized immigrants, to protest President Trump’s immigration policies and demand children be reunited with their families in Irvine, California, on June 30, 2018. (Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Caballero pointed to the mounting deaths in detention and the fact that immigrants can be held for months or years as their cases play out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I oppose mass detention, and no amount of oversight makes family separation and incarceration for civil violations justifiable,” she said. “These people are our neighbors, workers, parents, grandparents, coaches, churchgoers and volunteers. They deserve better.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB941\">\u003cstrong>SB 941\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Commissary Protection, \u003c/strong>from San Diego Sen. Steve Padilla, would bar for-profit detention facilities from marking up commissary items by more than 35% above the vendor price. That would mirror the cap that applies in state-run correctional facilities. Advocates say it would address what they consider price gouging on essential goods like sanitary items and supplemental food. It has Bonta’s backing.\u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB957\">\u003cstrong>SB 957\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Protecting Vulnerable Immigrant Detainees\u003c/strong>, from Pasadena Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, would require the California attorney general to submit an annual health and safety oversight plan for private civil detention facilities. It would align oversight of private detention with the state’s existing authority to monitor health and safety at state and local facilities.\u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB423\">\u003cstrong>SB 423\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Detention Facility Transparency, \u003c/strong>from Long Beach Sen. Lena Gonzalez, would require state and local agencies to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096334/as-ice-custody-deaths-rise-state-bill-would-force-release-of-911-call-data\">disclose records related to 911 calls\u003c/a> from private detention facilities. She said increasing public access to emergency call records would improve accountability, in the face of concerns over medical neglect and violence inside detention centers. The bill is supported by press-freedom groups, including the First Amendment Coalition. \u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/GettyImages-450371215-scaled-e1769711263847.jpg\" alt=\"On a modern, low-slung building with no windows, a big sign reading 'GEO' hangs on an exterior wall.\" class=\"wp-image-11891235\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This U.S. immigration processing center in Adelanto, California, is operated by GEO Group, a Florida-based company specializing in privatized corrections. (John Moore/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Several other bills seek to restrict ICE’s operations in California in other ways.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1633\">\u003cstrong>AB 1633\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Private Detention Facility Tax\u003c/strong>, from San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney, would impose an annual 25% tax on the gross income of private detention facility operators in California. \u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some analysts question whether the courts would consider such a tax legal or an “undue burden” on the federal government, which contracts with the companies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“States do have autonomy to tax what’s going on in their borders. But states can’t tax the federal government,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, a constitutional law scholar who is dean at UC Berkeley Law School. “It’ll certainly get challenged. The question is, is it unduly interfering with federal activity?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1801\">\u003cstrong>AB 1801\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Public Agency Detention Permitting\u003c/strong>, from South Bay Assemblymember Alex Lee, would stiffen the requirements in an existing California law, called SB 29, that requires notice and public hearings before local governments can permit a private detention facility or transfer land for one. Advocates say it would strengthen transparency in the permitting process.\u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1367\">\u003cstrong>SB 1367\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>Detention Planning and Zoning\u003c/strong>, from Inland Empire Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, would prohibit cities and counties from approving new land uses that allow constructing detention facilities or converting existing buildings into detention centers. It would target structures not built for human habitation, such as warehouses and industrial buildings.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition, a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1194\">bill\u003c/a> from Sen. Caballero would build on a legal fellowship program that trains new attorneys in immigration law and places them in nonprofits located in rural areas of the state that lack sufficient immigration legal services. Attorney General Bonta is a co-sponsor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco Sen. Scott Wiener has authored a bill, dubbed the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB747\">No Kings Act\u003c/a>, that would allow people to sue local, state and federal officers, including immigration agents, in state court if they believe their rights have been violated. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1760\" height=\"1174\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ice-badge-69a05cdd559c5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12074725\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ice-badge-69a05cdd559c5.jpg 1760w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ice-badge-69a05cdd559c5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ice-badge-69a05cdd559c5-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1760px) 100vw, 1760px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A federal agent wears an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge on June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chemerinsky said he believes the bill would stand up in court: “I think that is clearly constitutional because it’s not targeting just the federal government.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2760\">bill\u003c/a> from San Diego Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins would bar law enforcement officers from using any wearable device that can deliver electric shocks, and it would block the use of state funds to purchase them. That comes in response to recent news that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097332/california-democrats-race-to-ban-electric-shock-gloves-before-ice-buys-them\">ICE was planning to buy thousands\u003c/a> of Taser-like gloves.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The governor has until the end of September to sign or veto the bills on his desk.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bonta said he had not spoken directly with the governor about the bills he has sponsored, but was optimistic that Newsom would sign them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If the bills become law, Chemerinsky said he expects swift legal challenges by the Trump administration and the private prison companies. The Berkeley dean called state legislation an important tool at a time when, as he sees it, the Trump administration is violating constitutional laws to a degree that’s never been seen in U.S. history. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“One of the genius aspects of the American system of government, of federalism, is that, if one level of government fails, another can step in,” he said. “What California is trying to do is to step in so as to protect the rights of people in the state where the federal government is infringing them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "republican-steve-hilton-finds-some-distance-between-himself-and-trump",
"title": "Republican Steve Hilton Finds Some Distance Between Himself and Trump",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/steve-hilton\">Steve Hilton\u003c/a>, California’s Republican candidate for governor, put daylight between himself and President Donald Trump this week in an attempt to thread the needle to appeal to the state’s anti-Trump voters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an interview with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098167/steve-hilton-supports-mail-in-voting-remains-confident-in-californias-election-security\">KQED’s Political Breakdown podcast\u003c/a> released Thursday, Hilton refused to explicitly drag the president, but he decisively distanced himself from Trump’s election denialism and some of the president’s most unpopular views.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve never been an ideologue; I’ve never been tribal,” Hilton, a British-born former Fox News commentator, told host Marisa Lagos.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Although Trump’s endorsement \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078793/trump-endorses-steve-hilton-for-california-governor-giving-gop-a-front-runner\">boosted Hilton\u003c/a> in June’s primary election, the Republican candidate has since been trying to make the difficult case to voters in the blue state that they can support his campaign despite the president. In July, Hilton took out full-page newspaper ads and began running a video campaign telling voters that November’s election “isn’t about who you hate in Washington.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-12-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098220\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-12-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-12-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-12-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Steve Hilton, candidate for California governor, speaks with KQED political reporter Marisa Lagos for Political Breakdown at KQED studios in San Francisco on Sept. 2, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hilton gave the starkest rebuke to questions of election safety in this week’s interview, rejecting concerns that the November election would not move forward in a free and fair manner. Trump, on the other hand, appears to be laying the groundwork to raise doubts, following his repeated refusal to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/16/nx-s1-5896448/trump-election-address\">July address\u003c/a>, Trump claimed without evidence that the country’s voting system is vulnerable to being “rigged and stolen,” and urged Congress to pass the \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/saveamerica/\">SAVE America Act\u003c/a>, which would tighten identification requirements and end most mail-in voting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Trump suggested that “the only reason” Democrats wouldn’t support the legislation is because “you want to cheat because your policies are so bad, and your candidates are so pathetic that you can’t get away or can’t get elected any other way.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hilton said he plans to accept the results of his race.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is the system,” Hilton said. “It’s our job, if we want to win, to get more votes than the other guy using this system. … Let’s make sure we are playing by the same rules, instead of just sulking and saying we don’t like it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hilton also objected to Trump’s campaign to restrict mail-in voting, days after \u003ca href=\"https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2026-08-31_final_letter-disclosure.pdf\">a whistleblower who is a federal official\u003c/a> raised concerns that the U.S. Postal Service plans to release a “sloppy and rushed” online voter information system that could jeopardize the voting method used by one-third of Americans. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I don’t agree with that,” Hilton said of efforts to disrupt mail-in voting. “It’s clearly popular, so many people use it.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Postal Service said in a statement Tuesday that it has been \u003ca href=\"https://about.usps.com/newsroom/statements/090126-statement-on-development-of-us-federal-ballot-mail-portal.htm\">developing a system\u003c/a> to comply with Trump’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/ensuring-citizenship-verification-and-integrity-in-federal-elections/\">March executive order\u003c/a> requiring states and the Department of Homeland Security to create approved voter lists and send mail-in ballots only to people on those lists. A federal judge temporarily halted order, but the Trump administration on Thursday again \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/trump-mail-voting-executive-order-lawsuit-63899f738d28d161b629054a314f161a\">appealed to the Supreme Court\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hilton, who admitted that he used to dislike mail-in and early voting, said he’d come around to its benefits.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s actually helpful to campaigns,” Hilton told KQED. “We need to encourage as many people to vote as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He also took a measured stance on data centers, as many Republicans try to separate themselves from the rapid, and unpopular, expansion unabashedly backed by Trump.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hilton dodged the idea that California will see a significant number of these centers crop up, saying “the real problem is no one wants to build anything” in the state. But, he said, they shouldn’t be close to residential neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1339\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12076801\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-1536x1028.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">It is often said that the bear on the modern California state flag is based on “Monarch,” one of the last grizzly bears to live in the state. But researchers now believe it was based on the drawing of another bear, Samson. (Joseph Sohm/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The most important point and the most legitimate criticism is where our data center is so close to a residential neighborhood, it’s directly affecting people who live there in a day-to-day way,” he said. “We can’t have that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Trump said \u003ca href=\"https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117190477440173795\">on social media\u003c/a> that data centers would face opposition only from communities that “want to end up being backwards and poor.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While Hilton has suggested a “California DOGE” to cut state spending throughout his campaign, he criticized the Department of Governmental Efficiency set up in the early days of this Trump administration, calling the Elon Musk-led initiative to eliminate fraud and abuse “a bit of a bull in a China shop.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In terms of the stated goal of saving money and making the government more efficient, I think there’s no question that that hasn’t [happened],” Hilton told KQED. “Certainly it’s not apparent to people.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, Hilton said as governor he’d focus on cutting $25 billion from California’s budget to eliminate state income tax on residents’ first $150,000 in annual earnings. He didn’t elaborate on where that funding could come from. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hilton also remains aligned with the president on a number of culture-war issues — calling \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4uu8rL-DXk\">in campaign ads\u003c/a> for Californians to “stop the insanity” of providing “free health care for illegal immigrants” and supporting “boys in girls’ sports.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’ve had 16 years of one party running everything, and the results are just obviously disappointing,” Hilton told KQED. “Clearly there’s a case for change.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Although Trump’s endorsement \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078793/trump-endorses-steve-hilton-for-california-governor-giving-gop-a-front-runner\">boosted Hilton\u003c/a> in June’s primary election, the Republican candidate has since been trying to make the difficult case to voters in the blue state that they can support his campaign despite the president. In July, Hilton took out full-page newspaper ads and began running a video campaign telling voters that November’s election “isn’t about who you hate in Washington.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hilton gave the starkest rebuke to questions of election safety in this week’s interview, rejecting concerns that the November election would not move forward in a free and fair manner. Trump, on the other hand, appears to be laying the groundwork to raise doubts, following his repeated refusal to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/16/nx-s1-5896448/trump-election-address\">July address\u003c/a>, Trump claimed without evidence that the country’s voting system is vulnerable to being “rigged and stolen,” and urged Congress to pass the \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/saveamerica/\">SAVE America Act\u003c/a>, which would tighten identification requirements and end most mail-in voting. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Trump suggested that “the only reason” Democrats wouldn’t support the legislation is because “you want to cheat because your policies are so bad, and your candidates are so pathetic that you can’t get away or can’t get elected any other way.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This is the system,” Hilton said. “It’s our job, if we want to win, to get more votes than the other guy using this system. … Let’s make sure we are playing by the same rules, instead of just sulking and saying we don’t like it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hilton also objected to Trump’s campaign to restrict mail-in voting, days after \u003ca href=\"https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2026-08-31_final_letter-disclosure.pdf\">a whistleblower who is a federal official\u003c/a> raised concerns that the U.S. Postal Service plans to release a “sloppy and rushed” online voter information system that could jeopardize the voting method used by one-third of Americans. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I don’t agree with that,” Hilton said of efforts to disrupt mail-in voting. “It’s clearly popular, so many people use it.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Postal Service said in a statement Tuesday that it has been \u003ca href=\"https://about.usps.com/newsroom/statements/090126-statement-on-development-of-us-federal-ballot-mail-portal.htm\">developing a system\u003c/a> to comply with Trump’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/ensuring-citizenship-verification-and-integrity-in-federal-elections/\">March executive order\u003c/a> requiring states and the Department of Homeland Security to create approved voter lists and send mail-in ballots only to people on those lists. A federal judge temporarily halted order, but the Trump administration on Thursday again \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/trump-mail-voting-executive-order-lawsuit-63899f738d28d161b629054a314f161a\">appealed to the Supreme Court\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hilton, who admitted that he used to dislike mail-in and early voting, said he’d come around to its benefits.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s actually helpful to campaigns,” Hilton told KQED. “We need to encourage as many people to vote as possible.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He also took a measured stance on data centers, as many Republicans try to separate themselves from the rapid, and unpopular, expansion unabashedly backed by Trump.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hilton dodged the idea that California will see a significant number of these centers crop up, saying “the real problem is no one wants to build anything” in the state. But, he said, they shouldn’t be close to residential neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Hilton dodged the idea that California will see a significant number of these centers crop up, saying “the real problem is no one wants to build anything” in the state. But, he said, they shouldn’t be close to residential neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The most important point and the most legitimate criticism is where our data center is so close to a residential neighborhood, it’s directly affecting people who live there in a day-to-day way,” he said. “We can’t have that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Trump said \u003ca href=\"https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117190477440173795\">on social media\u003c/a> that data centers would face opposition only from communities that “want to end up being backwards and poor.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While Hilton has suggested a “California DOGE” to cut state spending throughout his campaign, he criticized the Department of Governmental Efficiency set up in the early days of this Trump administration, calling the Elon Musk-led initiative to eliminate fraud and abuse “a bit of a bull in a China shop.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While Hilton has suggested a “California DOGE” to cut state spending throughout his campaign, he criticized the Department of Governmental Efficiency set up in the early days of this Trump administration, calling the Elon Musk-led initiative to eliminate fraud and abuse “a bit of a bull in a China shop.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In terms of the stated goal of saving money and making the government more efficient, I think there’s no question that that hasn’t [happened],” Hilton told KQED. “Certainly it’s not apparent to people.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Still, Hilton said as governor he’d focus on cutting $25 billion from California’s budget to eliminate state income tax on residents’ first $150,000 in annual earnings. He didn’t elaborate on where that funding could come from. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Still, Hilton said as governor he’d focus on cutting $25 billion from California’s budget to eliminate state income tax on residents’ first $150,000 in annual earnings. He didn’t elaborate on where that funding could come from. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hilton also remains aligned with the president on a number of culture-war issues — calling \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4uu8rL-DXk\">in campaign ads\u003c/a> for Californians to “stop the insanity” of providing “free health care for illegal immigrants” and supporting “boys in girls’ sports.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’ve had 16 years of one party running everything, and the results are just obviously disappointing,” Hilton told KQED. “Clearly there’s a case for change.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "In an interview with KQED’s Political Breakdown, California’s GOP candidate for governor rejected the president's election denialism and showed support for mail-in voting.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/steve-hilton\">Steve Hilton\u003c/a>, California’s Republican candidate for governor, put daylight between himself and President Donald Trump this week in an attempt to thread the needle to appeal to the state’s anti-Trump voters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an interview with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098167/steve-hilton-supports-mail-in-voting-remains-confident-in-californias-election-security\">KQED’s Political Breakdown podcast\u003c/a> released Thursday, Hilton refused to explicitly drag the president, but he decisively distanced himself from Trump’s election denialism and some of the president’s most unpopular views.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve never been an ideologue; I’ve never been tribal,” Hilton, a British-born former Fox News commentator, told host Marisa Lagos.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Although Trump’s endorsement \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078793/trump-endorses-steve-hilton-for-california-governor-giving-gop-a-front-runner\">boosted Hilton\u003c/a> in June’s primary election, the Republican candidate has since been trying to make the difficult case to voters in the blue state that they can support his campaign despite the president. In July, Hilton took out full-page newspaper ads and began running a video campaign telling voters that November’s election “isn’t about who you hate in Washington.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-12-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098220\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-12-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-12-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-12-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Steve Hilton, candidate for California governor, speaks with KQED political reporter Marisa Lagos for Political Breakdown at KQED studios in San Francisco on Sept. 2, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hilton gave the starkest rebuke to questions of election safety in this week’s interview, rejecting concerns that the November election would not move forward in a free and fair manner. Trump, on the other hand, appears to be laying the groundwork to raise doubts, following his repeated refusal to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/16/nx-s1-5896448/trump-election-address\">July address\u003c/a>, Trump claimed without evidence that the country’s voting system is vulnerable to being “rigged and stolen,” and urged Congress to pass the \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/saveamerica/\">SAVE America Act\u003c/a>, which would tighten identification requirements and end most mail-in voting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Trump suggested that “the only reason” Democrats wouldn’t support the legislation is because “you want to cheat because your policies are so bad, and your candidates are so pathetic that you can’t get away or can’t get elected any other way.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hilton said he plans to accept the results of his race.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is the system,” Hilton said. “It’s our job, if we want to win, to get more votes than the other guy using this system. … Let’s make sure we are playing by the same rules, instead of just sulking and saying we don’t like it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hilton also objected to Trump’s campaign to restrict mail-in voting, days after \u003ca href=\"https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2026-08-31_final_letter-disclosure.pdf\">a whistleblower who is a federal official\u003c/a> raised concerns that the U.S. Postal Service plans to release a “sloppy and rushed” online voter information system that could jeopardize the voting method used by one-third of Americans. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I don’t agree with that,” Hilton said of efforts to disrupt mail-in voting. “It’s clearly popular, so many people use it.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Postal Service said in a statement Tuesday that it has been \u003ca href=\"https://about.usps.com/newsroom/statements/090126-statement-on-development-of-us-federal-ballot-mail-portal.htm\">developing a system\u003c/a> to comply with Trump’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/ensuring-citizenship-verification-and-integrity-in-federal-elections/\">March executive order\u003c/a> requiring states and the Department of Homeland Security to create approved voter lists and send mail-in ballots only to people on those lists. A federal judge temporarily halted order, but the Trump administration on Thursday again \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/trump-mail-voting-executive-order-lawsuit-63899f738d28d161b629054a314f161a\">appealed to the Supreme Court\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hilton, who admitted that he used to dislike mail-in and early voting, said he’d come around to its benefits.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s actually helpful to campaigns,” Hilton told KQED. “We need to encourage as many people to vote as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He also took a measured stance on data centers, as many Republicans try to separate themselves from the rapid, and unpopular, expansion unabashedly backed by Trump.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hilton dodged the idea that California will see a significant number of these centers crop up, saying “the real problem is no one wants to build anything” in the state. But, he said, they shouldn’t be close to residential neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1339\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12076801\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-1536x1028.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">It is often said that the bear on the modern California state flag is based on “Monarch,” one of the last grizzly bears to live in the state. But researchers now believe it was based on the drawing of another bear, Samson. (Joseph Sohm/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The most important point and the most legitimate criticism is where our data center is so close to a residential neighborhood, it’s directly affecting people who live there in a day-to-day way,” he said. “We can’t have that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Trump said \u003ca href=\"https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117190477440173795\">on social media\u003c/a> that data centers would face opposition only from communities that “want to end up being backwards and poor.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While Hilton has suggested a “California DOGE” to cut state spending throughout his campaign, he criticized the Department of Governmental Efficiency set up in the early days of this Trump administration, calling the Elon Musk-led initiative to eliminate fraud and abuse “a bit of a bull in a China shop.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In terms of the stated goal of saving money and making the government more efficient, I think there’s no question that that hasn’t [happened],” Hilton told KQED. “Certainly it’s not apparent to people.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, Hilton said as governor he’d focus on cutting $25 billion from California’s budget to eliminate state income tax on residents’ first $150,000 in annual earnings. He didn’t elaborate on where that funding could come from. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hilton also remains aligned with the president on a number of culture-war issues — calling \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4uu8rL-DXk\">in campaign ads\u003c/a> for Californians to “stop the insanity” of providing “free health care for illegal immigrants” and supporting “boys in girls’ sports.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’ve had 16 years of one party running everything, and the results are just obviously disappointing,” Hilton told KQED. “Clearly there’s a case for change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "‘Yosemite Is Not for Sale’: California Officials Oppose Land-Swap Deal",
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"headTitle": "‘Yosemite Is Not for Sale’: California Officials Oppose Land-Swap Deal | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>A group of California lawmakers called on federal officials to halt and reject \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097316/trump-administration-reportedly-considers-development-of-private-road-in-yosemite\">a proposed land exchange\u003c/a> in Yosemite National Park that would allow a private developer to take control of a strip of land in the park for an access road to the park’s main attractions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L2Dvbwl_sEEu_lf3TiVOTtok7kmVOm2U/view\">letter\u003c/a> to Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Wednesday was signed by a bipartisan group of 61 state legislators led by Assemblymember Greg Wallis, a Republican who represents Riverside and San Bernardino counties.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Republicans and Democrats from both houses of the Legislature are standing together because some things are bigger than politics,” Wallis said in a statement. “Yosemite is not a subdivision. It is not a bargaining chip. And it is not for sale. Secretary Burgum and the administration should put an end to this proposal.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/BurgumSFVisit1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12048542\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/BurgumSFVisit1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/BurgumSFVisit1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/BurgumSFVisit1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Interior Secretary Doug Burgum (center) visited the Tunnel Tops in San Francisco in 2025 after he and then-Attorney General Pam Bondi toured Alcatraz ahead of their announcement to reopen the former federal prison. (Katie DeBenedetti/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The group argued that the proposed land exchange is counter to the mission of the National Park Service and the founding of Yosemite in 1864, which set aside the start of the park for public use and protection for the first time in the history of the federal government.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What is being proposed now runs directly against that founding principle, more than a century and a half later,” the letter states. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It continues later: “Our national parks belong equally to every American. They are not the Department’s to trade away, and they are not for sale.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposal was \u003ca href=\"https://www.notus.org/agencies/trump-administration-yosemite-private-developer-deal\">first reported\u003c/a> by news outlet NOTUS, which published a story last week alleging that members of the Trump administration were meeting with representatives of Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a private equity group that owns an 83-acre parcel next to the park. In an email to KQED, Kingsbarn’s lawyer Lanny J. Davis confirmed the group is pursuing the land exchange to build a new access road from its property to the park.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Previous owners have pushed for the same deal since the early 2000s and \u003ca href=\"https://earthjustice.org/press/2012/new-roads-into-yosemite-valley-rejected-by-federal-court\">failed\u003c/a> in court.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park), who signed on to the letter, called the proposal “indefensible,” and said he’s looking at state laws to ensure a similar proposal could never slip through.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If the Trump administration can’t defend this publicly in broad daylight, then they shouldn’t be doing it,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Marin) told \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101915115/trump-administration-allow-private-development-in-yosemite\">KQED’s Forum on Wednesday\u003c/a> that he’s worried there isn’t enough opposition among his Republican colleagues in Congress to stop the Trump administration’s efforts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I have not seen a single Republican colleague willing to stand up to Donald Trump when he decides that he’s just going to do something,” Huffman said. “So that is my concern, that he just plows ahead with this — even if it has dubious legal authority, or even if it’s an open violation of the law. He’s doing stuff like that anyway. And in this Congress, there’s no one here to stop him.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement to KQED, state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil (R-Jackson), whose district includes parts of Yosemite, said she will “keep pressing the Department [of the Interior] for a clear answer that this exchange will not proceed.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since the news of the deal broke late last week, it has sparked condemnation from a number of Democratic state leaders, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/alexpadilla4ca/posts/yosemite-is-not-for-sale-smidurl-share/1614990713322959/\">Sens. Alex Padilla\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/SenAdamSchiff/status/2093448467758690464\">Adam Schiff\u003c/a>, as well as \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/AGRobBonta/status/2093447502632796326\">Attorney General Rob Bonta\u003c/a> and Bonta’s predecessor, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/becerraforgovernor/posts/yosemite-is-not-for-saleit-is-unacceptable-that-the-trump-administration-is-repo/1625938552231560/\">Xavier Becerra\u003c/a>, who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095034/becerra-easily-leading-california-governors-race-defined-by-partisan-split-poll-shows\">leads the race\u003c/a> for California governor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NationalParkServiceGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12060933\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NationalParkServiceGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NationalParkServiceGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NationalParkServiceGetty-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People demonstrate during a protest against federal employee layoffs at Yosemite National Park, California, on March 1, 2025. (Laure Andrillon/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The secretive backroom land-exchange scheme has gotten everyone’s attention,” said Neal Desai, senior Pacific regional director of the National Parks Conservation Association. “I can’t recall another issue — and I’ve been working in the conservation space for over a couple of decades — where the response has been this sharp and so one-sided that this is a terrible idea that should not happen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The backlash comes at a turbulent time for National Park Service employees, who have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12060911/new-trump-layoffs-could-put-hundreds-more-national-park-service-employees-on-the-chopping-block\">faced layoffs,\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066741/a-morale-bomb-national-park-workers-face-wage-cuts-and-dubiously-legal-review-system\">staffing cuts\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055659/national-park-service-california-yosemite-muir-woods-trump-executive-order\">fear of retaliation\u003c/a> for speaking up against Trump administration policies since the start of the second Trump administration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some former employees have also raised concerns about a potential reorganization of the National Park Service, according to a separate \u003ca href=\"https://protectnps.org/2026/09/02/former-national-park-superintendents-warn-interior-secretary-national-parks-are-in-crisis/\">letter\u003c/a> sent to Burgum’s office Wednesday. According to an email seen by KQED, park superintendents have been asked to attend in-person regional meetings in September — with no clear agenda beyond discussing “agency priorities, our FY 2026 outlook, and other matters important to the work ahead.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The letter to Burgam, signed by 20 retired parks superintendents warns: “An ill-advised and hastily planned reorganization could dismantle that structure, putting our parks — and those who visit them — at great risk.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12062223\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tour guide William Fontana points visitors to climbers on El Capitan during a tour of the Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on Oct. 28, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Emily Thompson, executive director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, which organized the letter, said the email about regional meetings “raises some alarm bells.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Park Service is already operating from a difficult place, from a place of crisis,” she said. “And any additional cuts, any movements or actions that would further jeopardize the capacity of the folks that are left, that’s concerning. It’s worrying, and it’ll have a devastating impact on the Park Service.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Among the letter’s signatories is Don Neubacher, retired Yosemite superintendent, who has been a vocal advocate for parks amid the Trump administration’s changes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thompson said she’s worried parks leaders will be stretched even further than they already are, and local decision-making over parks could be in jeopardy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Morale is low,” Thompson said. “It’s a hard time to be a federal employee. Anything that … contributes to this culture of fear, it’s just not acceptable.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/BurgumSFVisit1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12048542\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/BurgumSFVisit1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/BurgumSFVisit1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/BurgumSFVisit1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Interior Secretary Doug Burgum (center) visited the Tunnel Tops in San Francisco in 2025 after he and then-Attorney General Pam Bondi toured Alcatraz ahead of their announcement to reopen the former federal prison.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Katie DeBenedetti/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/BurgumSFVisit1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12048542\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Interior Secretary Doug Burgum (center) visited the Tunnel Tops in San Francisco in 2025 after he and then-Attorney General Pam Bondi toured Alcatraz ahead of their announcement to reopen the former federal prison.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Katie DeBenedetti/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The group argued that the proposed land exchange is counter to the mission of the National Park Service and the founding of Yosemite in 1864, which set aside the start of the park for public use and protection for the first time in the history of the federal government.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The group argued that the proposed land exchange is counter to the mission of the National Park Service and the founding of Yosemite in 1864, which set aside the start of the park for public use and protection for the first time in the history of the federal government.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What is being proposed now runs directly against that founding principle, more than a century and a half later,” the letter states. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“What is being proposed now runs directly against that founding principle, more than a century and a half later,” the letter states. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It continues later: “Our national parks belong equally to every American. They are not the Department’s to trade away, and they are not for sale.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It continues later: “Our national parks belong equally to every American. They are not the Department’s to trade away, and they are not for sale.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The proposal was \u003ca href=\"https://www.notus.org/agencies/trump-administration-yosemite-private-developer-deal\">first reported\u003c/a> by news outlet NOTUS, which published a story last week alleging that members of the Trump administration were meeting with representatives of Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a private equity group that owns an 83-acre parcel next to the park. In an email to KQED, Kingsbarn’s lawyer Lanny J. Davis confirmed the group is pursuing the land exchange to build a new access road from its property to the park.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The proposal was \u003ca href=\"https://www.notus.org/agencies/trump-administration-yosemite-private-developer-deal\">first reported\u003c/a> by news outlet NOTUS, which published a story last week alleging that members of the Trump administration were meeting with representatives of Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a private equity group that owns an 83-acre parcel next to the park. In an email to KQED, Kingsbarn’s lawyer Lanny J. Davis confirmed the group is pursuing the land exchange to build a new access road from its property to the park.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Previous owners have pushed for the same deal since the early 2000s and \u003ca href=\"https://earthjustice.org/press/2012/new-roads-into-yosemite-valley-rejected-by-federal-court\">failed\u003c/a> in court.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>State Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park), who signed on to the letter, called the proposal “indefensible,” and said he’s looking at state laws to ensure a similar proposal could never slip through.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If the Trump administration can’t defend this publicly in broad daylight, then they shouldn’t be doing it,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If the Trump administration can’t defend this publicly in broad daylight, then they shouldn’t be doing it,” he said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Marin) told \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101915115/trump-administration-allow-private-development-in-yosemite\">KQED’s Forum on Wednesday\u003c/a> that he’s worried there isn’t enough opposition among his Republican colleagues in Congress to stop the Trump administration’s efforts. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Marin) told \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101915115/trump-administration-allow-private-development-in-yosemite\">KQED’s Forum on Wednesday\u003c/a> that he’s worried there isn’t enough opposition among his Republican colleagues in Congress to stop the Trump administration’s efforts. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I have not seen a single Republican colleague willing to stand up to Donald Trump when he decides that he’s just going to do something,” Huffman said. “So that is my concern, that he just plows ahead with this — even if it has dubious legal authority, or even if it’s an open violation of the law. He’s doing stuff like that anyway. And in this Congress, there’s no one here to stop him.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I have not seen a single Republican colleague willing to stand up to Donald Trump when he decides that he’s just going to do something,” Huffman said. “So that is my concern, that he just plows ahead with this — even if it has dubious legal authority, or even if it’s an open violation of the law. He’s doing stuff like that anyway. And in this Congress, there’s no one here to stop him.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a statement to KQED, state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil (R-Jackson), whose district includes parts of Yosemite, said she will “keep pressing the Department [of the Interior] for a clear answer that this exchange will not proceed.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a statement to KQED, state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil (R-Jackson), whose district includes parts of Yosemite, said she will “keep pressing the Department [of the Interior] for a clear answer that this exchange will not proceed.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since the news of the deal broke late last week, it has sparked condemnation from a number of Democratic state leaders, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/alexpadilla4ca/posts/yosemite-is-not-for-sale-smidurl-share/1614990713322959/\">Sens. Alex Padilla\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/SenAdamSchiff/status/2093448467758690464\">Adam Schiff\u003c/a>, as well as \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/AGRobBonta/status/2093447502632796326\">Attorney General Rob Bonta\u003c/a> and Bonta’s predecessor, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/becerraforgovernor/posts/yosemite-is-not-for-saleit-is-unacceptable-that-the-trump-administration-is-repo/1625938552231560/\">Xavier Becerra\u003c/a>, who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095034/becerra-easily-leading-california-governors-race-defined-by-partisan-split-poll-shows\">leads the race\u003c/a> for California governor.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The secretive backroom land-exchange scheme has gotten everyone’s attention,” said Neal Desai, senior Pacific regional director of the National Parks Conservation Association. “I can’t recall another issue — and I’ve been working in the conservation space for over a couple of decades — where the response has been this sharp and so one-sided that this is a terrible idea that should not happen.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The backlash comes at a turbulent time for National Park Service employees, who have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12060911/new-trump-layoffs-could-put-hundreds-more-national-park-service-employees-on-the-chopping-block\">faced layoffs,\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066741/a-morale-bomb-national-park-workers-face-wage-cuts-and-dubiously-legal-review-system\">staffing cuts\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055659/national-park-service-california-yosemite-muir-woods-trump-executive-order\">fear of retaliation\u003c/a> for speaking up against Trump administration policies since the start of the second Trump administration.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some former employees have also raised concerns about a potential reorganization of the National Park Service, according to a separate \u003ca href=\"https://protectnps.org/2026/09/02/former-national-park-superintendents-warn-interior-secretary-national-parks-are-in-crisis/\">letter\u003c/a> sent to Burgum’s office Wednesday. According to an email seen by KQED, park superintendents have been asked to attend in-person regional meetings in September — with no clear agenda beyond discussing “agency priorities, our FY 2026 outlook, and other matters important to the work ahead.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some former employees have also raised concerns about a potential reorganization of the National Park Service, according to a separate \u003ca href=\"https://protectnps.org/2026/09/02/former-national-park-superintendents-warn-interior-secretary-national-parks-are-in-crisis/\">letter\u003c/a> sent to Burgum’s office Wednesday. According to an email seen by KQED, park superintendents have been asked to attend in-person regional meetings in September — with no clear agenda beyond discussing “agency priorities, our FY 2026 outlook, and other matters important to the work ahead.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The letter to Burgam, signed by 20 retired parks superintendents warns: “An ill-advised and hastily planned reorganization could dismantle that structure, putting our parks — and those who visit them — at great risk.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The letter to Burgam, signed by 20 retired parks superintendents warns: “An ill-advised and hastily planned reorganization could dismantle that structure, putting our parks — and those who visit them — at great risk.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12062223\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tour guide William Fontana points visitors to climbers on El Capitan during a tour of the Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on Oct. 28, 2025. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Emily Thompson, executive director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, which organized the letter, said the email about regional meetings “raises some alarm bells.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The Park Service is already operating from a difficult place, from a place of crisis,” she said. “And any additional cuts, any movements or actions that would further jeopardize the capacity of the folks that are left, that’s concerning. It’s worrying, and it’ll have a devastating impact on the Park Service.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The Park Service is already operating from a difficult place, from a place of crisis,” she said. “And any additional cuts, any movements or actions that would further jeopardize the capacity of the folks that are left, that’s concerning. It’s worrying, and it’ll have a devastating impact on the Park Service.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Among the letter’s signatories is Don Neubacher, retired Yosemite superintendent, who has been a vocal advocate for parks amid the Trump administration’s changes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thompson said she’s worried parks leaders will be stretched even further than they already are, and local decision-making over parks could be in jeopardy.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Morale is low,” Thompson said. “It’s a hard time to be a federal employee. Anything that … contributes to this culture of fear, it’s just not acceptable.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Backlash against a proposed deal to develop a private road into Yosemite has intensified as National Park Service employees grapple with an uncertain future.",
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"title": "‘Yosemite Is Not for Sale’: California Officials Oppose Land-Swap Deal | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>A group of California lawmakers called on federal officials to halt and reject \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097316/trump-administration-reportedly-considers-development-of-private-road-in-yosemite\">a proposed land exchange\u003c/a> in Yosemite National Park that would allow a private developer to take control of a strip of land in the park for an access road to the park’s main attractions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L2Dvbwl_sEEu_lf3TiVOTtok7kmVOm2U/view\">letter\u003c/a> to Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Wednesday was signed by a bipartisan group of 61 state legislators led by Assemblymember Greg Wallis, a Republican who represents Riverside and San Bernardino counties.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Republicans and Democrats from both houses of the Legislature are standing together because some things are bigger than politics,” Wallis said in a statement. “Yosemite is not a subdivision. It is not a bargaining chip. And it is not for sale. Secretary Burgum and the administration should put an end to this proposal.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/BurgumSFVisit1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12048542\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/BurgumSFVisit1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/BurgumSFVisit1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/BurgumSFVisit1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Interior Secretary Doug Burgum (center) visited the Tunnel Tops in San Francisco in 2025 after he and then-Attorney General Pam Bondi toured Alcatraz ahead of their announcement to reopen the former federal prison. (Katie DeBenedetti/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The group argued that the proposed land exchange is counter to the mission of the National Park Service and the founding of Yosemite in 1864, which set aside the start of the park for public use and protection for the first time in the history of the federal government.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What is being proposed now runs directly against that founding principle, more than a century and a half later,” the letter states. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It continues later: “Our national parks belong equally to every American. They are not the Department’s to trade away, and they are not for sale.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposal was \u003ca href=\"https://www.notus.org/agencies/trump-administration-yosemite-private-developer-deal\">first reported\u003c/a> by news outlet NOTUS, which published a story last week alleging that members of the Trump administration were meeting with representatives of Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a private equity group that owns an 83-acre parcel next to the park. In an email to KQED, Kingsbarn’s lawyer Lanny J. Davis confirmed the group is pursuing the land exchange to build a new access road from its property to the park.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Previous owners have pushed for the same deal since the early 2000s and \u003ca href=\"https://earthjustice.org/press/2012/new-roads-into-yosemite-valley-rejected-by-federal-court\">failed\u003c/a> in court.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park), who signed on to the letter, called the proposal “indefensible,” and said he’s looking at state laws to ensure a similar proposal could never slip through.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If the Trump administration can’t defend this publicly in broad daylight, then they shouldn’t be doing it,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Marin) told \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101915115/trump-administration-allow-private-development-in-yosemite\">KQED’s Forum on Wednesday\u003c/a> that he’s worried there isn’t enough opposition among his Republican colleagues in Congress to stop the Trump administration’s efforts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I have not seen a single Republican colleague willing to stand up to Donald Trump when he decides that he’s just going to do something,” Huffman said. “So that is my concern, that he just plows ahead with this — even if it has dubious legal authority, or even if it’s an open violation of the law. He’s doing stuff like that anyway. And in this Congress, there’s no one here to stop him.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement to KQED, state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil (R-Jackson), whose district includes parts of Yosemite, said she will “keep pressing the Department [of the Interior] for a clear answer that this exchange will not proceed.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since the news of the deal broke late last week, it has sparked condemnation from a number of Democratic state leaders, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/alexpadilla4ca/posts/yosemite-is-not-for-sale-smidurl-share/1614990713322959/\">Sens. Alex Padilla\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/SenAdamSchiff/status/2093448467758690464\">Adam Schiff\u003c/a>, as well as \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/AGRobBonta/status/2093447502632796326\">Attorney General Rob Bonta\u003c/a> and Bonta’s predecessor, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/becerraforgovernor/posts/yosemite-is-not-for-saleit-is-unacceptable-that-the-trump-administration-is-repo/1625938552231560/\">Xavier Becerra\u003c/a>, who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095034/becerra-easily-leading-california-governors-race-defined-by-partisan-split-poll-shows\">leads the race\u003c/a> for California governor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NationalParkServiceGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12060933\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NationalParkServiceGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NationalParkServiceGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NationalParkServiceGetty-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People demonstrate during a protest against federal employee layoffs at Yosemite National Park, California, on March 1, 2025. (Laure Andrillon/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The secretive backroom land-exchange scheme has gotten everyone’s attention,” said Neal Desai, senior Pacific regional director of the National Parks Conservation Association. “I can’t recall another issue — and I’ve been working in the conservation space for over a couple of decades — where the response has been this sharp and so one-sided that this is a terrible idea that should not happen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The backlash comes at a turbulent time for National Park Service employees, who have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12060911/new-trump-layoffs-could-put-hundreds-more-national-park-service-employees-on-the-chopping-block\">faced layoffs,\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066741/a-morale-bomb-national-park-workers-face-wage-cuts-and-dubiously-legal-review-system\">staffing cuts\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055659/national-park-service-california-yosemite-muir-woods-trump-executive-order\">fear of retaliation\u003c/a> for speaking up against Trump administration policies since the start of the second Trump administration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some former employees have also raised concerns about a potential reorganization of the National Park Service, according to a separate \u003ca href=\"https://protectnps.org/2026/09/02/former-national-park-superintendents-warn-interior-secretary-national-parks-are-in-crisis/\">letter\u003c/a> sent to Burgum’s office Wednesday. According to an email seen by KQED, park superintendents have been asked to attend in-person regional meetings in September — with no clear agenda beyond discussing “agency priorities, our FY 2026 outlook, and other matters important to the work ahead.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The letter to Burgam, signed by 20 retired parks superintendents warns: “An ill-advised and hastily planned reorganization could dismantle that structure, putting our parks — and those who visit them — at great risk.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12062223\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tour guide William Fontana points visitors to climbers on El Capitan during a tour of the Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on Oct. 28, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Emily Thompson, executive director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, which organized the letter, said the email about regional meetings “raises some alarm bells.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Park Service is already operating from a difficult place, from a place of crisis,” she said. “And any additional cuts, any movements or actions that would further jeopardize the capacity of the folks that are left, that’s concerning. It’s worrying, and it’ll have a devastating impact on the Park Service.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Among the letter’s signatories is Don Neubacher, retired Yosemite superintendent, who has been a vocal advocate for parks amid the Trump administration’s changes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thompson said she’s worried parks leaders will be stretched even further than they already are, and local decision-making over parks could be in jeopardy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Morale is low,” Thompson said. “It’s a hard time to be a federal employee. Anything that … contributes to this culture of fear, it’s just not acceptable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"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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"marketplace": {
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"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.",
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"mindshift": {
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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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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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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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},
"perspectives": {
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"order": 14
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
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"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",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
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"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
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},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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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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},
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