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"content": "\u003cp>\u003c!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ -->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Companies backing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914179/bay-area-communities-resist-data-center-boom\">data center construction\u003c/a> are flooding Sacramento with cash, hoping to stop or defang seven bills that would regulate the facilities as they head toward approval in the California Legislature this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pro-data-center spenders include Big Tech companies like Amazon and AI titan Anthropic. But they are led, dollar-wise, by old school utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric, which earlier this year clocked its second biggest lobbying quarter since 1999.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The financial push comes a year after four bills that attempted to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2025/09/data-centers-california-electricity-rates/\">regulate data centers\u003c/a> died or were diluted after lobbying from the industry. But as artificial intelligence fuels an unprecedented facility buildout, public backlash is transforming data center construction into a major issue for candidates in upcoming elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx\">May Gallup poll\u003c/a> found seven in 10 Americans oppose data center construction in their communities, while a Public Policy Institute of California poll in July found \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletter/data-center-ppic-survey/\">similar opposition statewide.\u003c/a> Rising public anxiety over utility costs, water use, and grid strain has driven California lawmakers to propose strict new data center rules — igniting a high-stakes lobbying push by the industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundreds of cities have considered or passed project bans this year, including in Monterey Park, where voters passed a ballot measure to permanently ban data centers, and Bay Area cities like Pittsburg, which backtracked on approvals following public outcry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12089535\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MontereyParkGetty.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12089535\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MontereyParkGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MontereyParkGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MontereyParkGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MontereyParkGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Signs of protest pepper front yards in a nearby residential neighborhood in Monterey Park, California, on April 1, 2026. \u003ccite>(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>State law requires businesses and groups that engage in lobbying to report their overall quarterly spending, but does not require a breakdown of exactly how much is being spent on each bill. An analysis by CalMatters of lobbying activity for the first six months of 2026 found that utilities, tech companies and their proxies have spent millions of dollars lobbying state lawmakers, with data center bills emerging as a primary focus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By Monday, it will be clear which bills made it out of the Legislature and onto Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for signature or veto by the end of September.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fate of the measures could have far-reaching consequences, affecting not only data center development but environmental regulation, utility rates, and how freely California’s tech giants can operate in the state. Nationally, advocates and lawmakers agree that California’s regulation around data centers could be an important bellwether for how similar fights will play out elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The level of awareness is through the roof, and the level of concern and sensitivity is through the roof — it’s bipartisan, it’s national, and it’s across the board,” California Sen. Steve Padilla, a Democrat from Chula Vista who is author of two pending data center bills, told CalMatters.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Who is lobbying on data centers\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>During the first half of 2026, Amazon paid more than $500,000 to lobby lawmakers on 33 pieces of legislation, including several data center bills and matters related to antitrust and artificial intelligence. Amazon spent more than $1.7 million lobbying in California last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, AI company Anthropic, which sent its first lobbyists to Sacramento last year, has spent nearly $90,000 to influence decisions made by the California Legislature so far this year and, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ft.com/content/d8a5f95e-3b6d-463a-a848-c9ef8e2394db?syn-25a6b1a6=1\">Financial Times\u003c/a>, nearly tripled its federal lobbying spend in the same time period. Last year, Anthropic spent over $200,000 lobbying in the state.[aside postID=news_12095308 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-1536x1024.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Anthropic paid a lobbyist to influence lawmakers decisionmaking on data centers, a spokesperson said the company does not support or oppose any specific bills in California. The company, the spokesperson said, is also interested in working with lawmakers “on AI safety and other relevant issues.” Representatives for Amazon did not respond to a request for comment from CalMatters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Utility giant PG&E’s \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3180852&amendid=0\">latest filing\u003c/a> shows that it spent $2.86 million lobbying in California between April and June — its second highest quarter since 1999 (only surpassed since then by 2018, the year of the deadliest wildfire in state history, later linked to its equipment). A spokesperson for PG&E said the company has engaged on a “broad scope” of issues facing the industry during this legislative session, adding that “less than 5% of our spending was on data-center related issues,” amounting to approximately $143,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other utilities, like Southern California Edison, and unions representing utility workers, like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, have also invested in lobbying efforts on the bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Utilities providers are particularly motivated to influence bills because the development of new data centers represents a historic opportunity for expansion and grid upgrades, according to Matthew Freedman, senior staff attorney for The Utility Reform Network. Under the current regulatory framework, he said, the cost of expanding transmission lines is spread across all grid users, which means everyday consumers foot the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12064267\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-2172265986.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12064267 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-2172265986.jpg\" alt=\"A panel of multiple wires of different colors inside an office building.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-2172265986.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-2172265986-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" />\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Some old and some new wiring connects to various servers at One Wilshire, a high-rise office building in downtown L.A. that has been almost entirely converted into a server farm. \u003ccite>(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But several of this year’s data center bills would change that, shifting costs back toward data center operators. “The groups that have been the strongest opponents of the bills this year include the proxies for the data centers and the tech companies,” Freedman said, referring to industry groups such as the Data Center Coalition, Silicon Valley Leadership Group and the California Chamber of Commerce. “They serve as a mouthpiece for the tech industry.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Filings do not show that tech giants like Google, OpenAI, Meta, and Microsoft are lobbying lawmakers directly on data centers this session. Instead, the business groups Freedman referenced, which represent the Big Tech firms, carry the weight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Silicon Valley Leadership Group, which represents companies including Apple and Amazon, has so far spent over $100,000 lobbying on bills including the various data center measures this year and is on track for its highest annual lobbying spend since tracking began in 2005.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Data Center Coalition, which counts companies like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI among its members, has logged its second and third highest-ever spending quarters so far this year. It has spent roughly $60,000 lobbying state lawmakers and the governor’s office to voice opposition to nearly every bill that would regulate data centers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The bills and the backlash\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The measures before the Legislature this session include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Bills to shift electric infrastructure costs toward data center operators and away from residential customers: SB \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1168\">1168\u003c/a>, SB \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb886\">886\u003c/a> and AB \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2383\">2383\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Bills mandating disclosures or estimates of water usage (and sometimes usage of other resources): AB \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2619\">2619\u003c/a> and two bills that cleared the Legislature Thursday, AB \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1577\">1577\u003c/a> and AB \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2469\">2469\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>SB \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb887\">887\u003c/a>, which would require all data center projects to undergo environmental reviews and offer fast-tracked approval for facilities that meet standards for water and energy conservation.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Business interests opposed to the bills argue they would stifle tech companies’ ability to innovate and compete, tie up critical infrastructure in red tape and unfairly burden the construction of data centers versus the construction of other types of projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Ahmad Thomas told CalMatters that he sees public debate over data centers as fueled by “strong anti-AI sentiment,” and that industry groups like his aim to “ground the conversation in reality” about the ways consumers rely on data center infrastructure for everyday services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12063588\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-2242294580-scaled-e1787960077712.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12063588\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-2242294580-scaled-e1787960077712.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1392\" />\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial view of a 33 megawatt data center with closed-loop cooling system on October 20, 2025 in Vernon, California. \u003ccite>(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Advocacy groups counter that transparency is vital to protect the environment and public resources, and that everyday consumers should not be affected by increased infrastructure and utilities costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Britt Smith, who is part of a community group organizing against a controversial $2 billion Amazon data center project in Gilroy south of San Jose, said corporate opponents of the bills are “spending so much because there’s so much at stake,” adding, “Our future, our safety, is not for sale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This robust fight stands in stark contrast to last year, when the only bill signed into law was stripped down to just a requirement for state energy regulators to publish an \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2025/12/data-center-energy-study-california/\">environmental impact study\u003c/a> on data centers’ electricity demand. Newsom also vetoed a water usage disclosure bill, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AB-93-Veto.pdf\">citing\u003c/a> concerns that regulation could stifle AI growth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether this year’s intensified lobbying will yield similar results remains uncertain, but lawmakers say shifting voter sentiment heading into the midterms has altered the political landscape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you’re looking down the barrel of public outcry that says we don’t want [data centers] at all, and you’ve got localities that are saying they’re going to ban them, then you know the atmosphere has changed,” Assemblymember Diane Papan, a San Mateo Democrat who authored two of the bills, told CalMatters. “We are in a totally different environment this year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/08/california-data-center-backlash-big-tech-lobbying/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx\">May Gallup poll\u003c/a> found seven in 10 Americans oppose data center construction in their communities, while a Public Policy Institute of California poll in July found \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletter/data-center-ppic-survey/\">similar opposition statewide.\u003c/a> Rising public anxiety over utility costs, water use, and grid strain has driven California lawmakers to propose strict new data center rules — igniting a high-stakes lobbying push by the industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundreds of cities have considered or passed project bans this year, including in Monterey Park, where voters passed a ballot measure to permanently ban data centers, and Bay Area cities like Pittsburg, which backtracked on approvals following public outcry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12089535\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MontereyParkGetty.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12089535\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MontereyParkGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MontereyParkGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MontereyParkGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MontereyParkGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Signs of protest pepper front yards in a nearby residential neighborhood in Monterey Park, California, on April 1, 2026. \u003ccite>(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>State law requires businesses and groups that engage in lobbying to report their overall quarterly spending, but does not require a breakdown of exactly how much is being spent on each bill. An analysis by CalMatters of lobbying activity for the first six months of 2026 found that utilities, tech companies and their proxies have spent millions of dollars lobbying state lawmakers, with data center bills emerging as a primary focus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By Monday, it will be clear which bills made it out of the Legislature and onto Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for signature or veto by the end of September.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fate of the measures could have far-reaching consequences, affecting not only data center development but environmental regulation, utility rates, and how freely California’s tech giants can operate in the state. Nationally, advocates and lawmakers agree that California’s regulation around data centers could be an important bellwether for how similar fights will play out elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The level of awareness is through the roof, and the level of concern and sensitivity is through the roof — it’s bipartisan, it’s national, and it’s across the board,” California Sen. Steve Padilla, a Democrat from Chula Vista who is author of two pending data center bills, told CalMatters.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Who is lobbying on data centers\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>During the first half of 2026, Amazon paid more than $500,000 to lobby lawmakers on 33 pieces of legislation, including several data center bills and matters related to antitrust and artificial intelligence. Amazon spent more than $1.7 million lobbying in California last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, AI company Anthropic, which sent its first lobbyists to Sacramento last year, has spent nearly $90,000 to influence decisions made by the California Legislature so far this year and, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ft.com/content/d8a5f95e-3b6d-463a-a848-c9ef8e2394db?syn-25a6b1a6=1\">Financial Times\u003c/a>, nearly tripled its federal lobbying spend in the same time period. Last year, Anthropic spent over $200,000 lobbying in the state.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Anthropic paid a lobbyist to influence lawmakers decisionmaking on data centers, a spokesperson said the company does not support or oppose any specific bills in California. The company, the spokesperson said, is also interested in working with lawmakers “on AI safety and other relevant issues.” Representatives for Amazon did not respond to a request for comment from CalMatters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Utility giant PG&E’s \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3180852&amendid=0\">latest filing\u003c/a> shows that it spent $2.86 million lobbying in California between April and June — its second highest quarter since 1999 (only surpassed since then by 2018, the year of the deadliest wildfire in state history, later linked to its equipment). A spokesperson for PG&E said the company has engaged on a “broad scope” of issues facing the industry during this legislative session, adding that “less than 5% of our spending was on data-center related issues,” amounting to approximately $143,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other utilities, like Southern California Edison, and unions representing utility workers, like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, have also invested in lobbying efforts on the bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Utilities providers are particularly motivated to influence bills because the development of new data centers represents a historic opportunity for expansion and grid upgrades, according to Matthew Freedman, senior staff attorney for The Utility Reform Network. Under the current regulatory framework, he said, the cost of expanding transmission lines is spread across all grid users, which means everyday consumers foot the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12064267\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-2172265986.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12064267 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-2172265986.jpg\" alt=\"A panel of multiple wires of different colors inside an office building.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-2172265986.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-2172265986-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" />\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Some old and some new wiring connects to various servers at One Wilshire, a high-rise office building in downtown L.A. that has been almost entirely converted into a server farm. \u003ccite>(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But several of this year’s data center bills would change that, shifting costs back toward data center operators. “The groups that have been the strongest opponents of the bills this year include the proxies for the data centers and the tech companies,” Freedman said, referring to industry groups such as the Data Center Coalition, Silicon Valley Leadership Group and the California Chamber of Commerce. “They serve as a mouthpiece for the tech industry.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Filings do not show that tech giants like Google, OpenAI, Meta, and Microsoft are lobbying lawmakers directly on data centers this session. Instead, the business groups Freedman referenced, which represent the Big Tech firms, carry the weight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Silicon Valley Leadership Group, which represents companies including Apple and Amazon, has so far spent over $100,000 lobbying on bills including the various data center measures this year and is on track for its highest annual lobbying spend since tracking began in 2005.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Data Center Coalition, which counts companies like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI among its members, has logged its second and third highest-ever spending quarters so far this year. It has spent roughly $60,000 lobbying state lawmakers and the governor’s office to voice opposition to nearly every bill that would regulate data centers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The bills and the backlash\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The measures before the Legislature this session include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Bills to shift electric infrastructure costs toward data center operators and away from residential customers: SB \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1168\">1168\u003c/a>, SB \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb886\">886\u003c/a> and AB \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2383\">2383\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Bills mandating disclosures or estimates of water usage (and sometimes usage of other resources): AB \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2619\">2619\u003c/a> and two bills that cleared the Legislature Thursday, AB \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1577\">1577\u003c/a> and AB \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2469\">2469\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>SB \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb887\">887\u003c/a>, which would require all data center projects to undergo environmental reviews and offer fast-tracked approval for facilities that meet standards for water and energy conservation.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Business interests opposed to the bills argue they would stifle tech companies’ ability to innovate and compete, tie up critical infrastructure in red tape and unfairly burden the construction of data centers versus the construction of other types of projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Ahmad Thomas told CalMatters that he sees public debate over data centers as fueled by “strong anti-AI sentiment,” and that industry groups like his aim to “ground the conversation in reality” about the ways consumers rely on data center infrastructure for everyday services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12063588\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-2242294580-scaled-e1787960077712.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12063588\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-2242294580-scaled-e1787960077712.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1392\" />\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial view of a 33 megawatt data center with closed-loop cooling system on October 20, 2025 in Vernon, California. \u003ccite>(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Advocacy groups counter that transparency is vital to protect the environment and public resources, and that everyday consumers should not be affected by increased infrastructure and utilities costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Britt Smith, who is part of a community group organizing against a controversial $2 billion Amazon data center project in Gilroy south of San Jose, said corporate opponents of the bills are “spending so much because there’s so much at stake,” adding, “Our future, our safety, is not for sale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This robust fight stands in stark contrast to last year, when the only bill signed into law was stripped down to just a requirement for state energy regulators to publish an \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2025/12/data-center-energy-study-california/\">environmental impact study\u003c/a> on data centers’ electricity demand. Newsom also vetoed a water usage disclosure bill, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AB-93-Veto.pdf\">citing\u003c/a> concerns that regulation could stifle AI growth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether this year’s intensified lobbying will yield similar results remains uncertain, but lawmakers say shifting voter sentiment heading into the midterms has altered the political landscape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you’re looking down the barrel of public outcry that says we don’t want [data centers] at all, and you’ve got localities that are saying they’re going to ban them, then you know the atmosphere has changed,” Assemblymember Diane Papan, a San Mateo Democrat who authored two of the bills, told CalMatters. “We are in a totally different environment this year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/08/california-data-center-backlash-big-tech-lobbying/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The whistleblower who helped uncover the bodies of dead dogs at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088995/117-dog-remains-found-at-mirandas-rescue-during-multiagency-investigation\">Miranda’s Rescue\u003c/a>, a troubled “no-kill” sanctuary in Humboldt County, filed a legal complaint on Monday with the California attorney general to remove the remaining animals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jennifer Raymond asked Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office, which oversees charities in the state, to ensure owner Shannon Miranda isn’t hiding or selling off assets, and to move to revoke the nonprofit’s status. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ I am very concerned about the animals that are remaining on the property,” Raymond told KQED. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In April, Raymond and another Humboldt County resident, Jenna Moore, went onto the sanctuary property in Fortuna and dug up the bodies of eight dogs — including one later traced back to Oakland Animal Services. \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/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_8001-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088664\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_8001-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_8001-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_8001-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputy inspects dogs in a kennel at Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna on June 23, 2026. (Mark McKenna for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The two women presented this evidence to local authorities, prompting an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089788/amid-mirandas-rescue-probe-lawmakers-push-animal-shelter-oversight\">investigation\u003c/a> by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. In June, law enforcement exhumed the intact remains of 117 more dogs, plus many more skulls, bones, loose microchips and bodies in “advanced stages of decomposition.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am also perplexed that after all that’s been revealed, that after digging up 117 decomposing dog bodies with ostensible bullet holes in their heads, that the animals are still there,” Raymond said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Miranda has \u003ca href=\"https://kymkemp.com/2026/07/31/shannon-miranda-defends-himself-levels-criticism-at-sheriffs-office-in-public-statement/\">denied\u003c/a> the allegations that he killed dogs for profit and has called Raymond and Moore “bullies and stalkers.” Miranda’s attorney, Allison Jackson, did not respond to KQED’s request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The FBI, U.S. Department of Agriculture and California Department of Justice are all involved in the investigation. So far, no charges have been filed against Miranda. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The complaint comes one day after animal welfare organizations gathered in Sacramento to call for the creation of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096327/advocates-divided-on-how-to-fix-californias-strained-animal-rescue-system\">a new state agency\u003c/a> to regulate rescues and other animal companion organizations. Advocates hope policy change can help prevent tragedies in the future.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ It is astonishing that a man who was operating a mass animal grave is still in possession of 40 dogs and an unknown number of cats, horses, and birds,” said Vanessa Shakib, co-founder of the nonprofit law firm Advancing Law for Animals. “That’s why we’re asking the California attorney general to step in.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The complaint asks Bonta’s office to seek the appointment of a receiver to oversee the animals’ care and adoption. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It also asks the attorney general to move to dissolve Miranda’s Rescue on the grounds that it is misusing its assets and conducting its business in a way that is “inconsistent with its charitable purposes.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dating back to 2006, Raymond said she filed several written complaints about Miranda’s Rescue with local law enforcement, but never received a response. In 2024, Raymond reached out to Bonta’s office — and was told to contact local law enforcement. She said she heard the same thing from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the DOJ and the IRS.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In order to preserve assets so that there can be some reparations paid to people who have been injured by him, we’re asking that the assets basically be frozen,” Raymond said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The filing comes weeks after Miranda and his husband, James Oxborrow, \u003ca href=\"https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2026/aug/3/shannon-miranda-and-husband-put-las-vegas-home-mar/\">put \u003c/a>their 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom home in Las Vegas up for sale. It’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.lasvegasluxuryresidences.com/search/listing/362-wiseton-ave-las-vegas-nv--2804700/\">listed\u003c/a> for nearly $1.1 million. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The attorney general did not immediately respond to KQED’s request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\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/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_8001-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088664\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_8001-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_8001-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_8001-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\">A Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputy inspects dogs in a kennel at Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna on June 23, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I am also perplexed that after all that’s been revealed, that after digging up 117 decomposing dog bodies with ostensible bullet holes in their heads, that the animals are still there,” Raymond said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Miranda has \u003ca href=\"https://kymkemp.com/2026/07/31/shannon-miranda-defends-himself-levels-criticism-at-sheriffs-office-in-public-statement/\">denied\u003c/a> the allegations that he killed dogs for profit and has called Raymond and Moore “bullies and stalkers.” Miranda’s attorney, Allison Jackson, did not respond to KQED’s request for comment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The FBI, U.S. Department of Agriculture and California Department of Justice are all involved in the investigation. So far, no charges have been filed against Miranda. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The complaint comes one day after animal welfare organizations gathered in Sacramento to call for the creation of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096327/advocates-divided-on-how-to-fix-californias-strained-animal-rescue-system\">a new state agency\u003c/a> to regulate rescues and other animal companion organizations. Advocates hope policy change can help prevent tragedies in the future.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ It is astonishing that a man who was operating a mass animal grave is still in possession of 40 dogs and an unknown number of cats, horses, and birds,” said Vanessa Shakib, co-founder of the nonprofit law firm Advancing Law for Animals. “That’s why we’re asking the California attorney general to step in.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The complaint asks Bonta’s office to seek the appointment of a receiver to oversee the animals’ care and adoption. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It also asks the attorney general to move to dissolve Miranda’s Rescue on the grounds that it is misusing its assets and conducting its business in a way that is “inconsistent with its charitable purposes.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It also asks the attorney general to move to dissolve Miranda’s Rescue on the grounds that it is misusing its assets and conducting its business in a way that is “inconsistent with its charitable purposes.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Dating back to 2006, Raymond said she filed several written complaints about Miranda’s Rescue with local law enforcement, but never received a response. In 2024, Raymond reached out to Bonta’s office — and was told to contact local law enforcement. She said she heard the same thing from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the DOJ and the IRS.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In order to preserve assets so that there can be some reparations paid to people who have been injured by him, we’re asking that the assets basically be frozen,” Raymond said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The filing comes weeks after Miranda and his husband, James Oxborrow, \u003ca href=\"https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2026/aug/3/shannon-miranda-and-husband-put-las-vegas-home-mar/\">put \u003c/a>their 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom home in Las Vegas up for sale. It’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.lasvegasluxuryresidences.com/search/listing/362-wiseton-ave-las-vegas-nv--2804700/\">listed\u003c/a> for nearly $1.1 million. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The attorney general did not immediately respond to KQED’s request for comment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A legal complaint called for state intervention after hundreds of dog remains were found at the Humboldt County sanctuary.",
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"title": "Whistleblower Asks California AG to Remove Animals From Miranda’s Rescue | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The whistleblower who helped uncover the bodies of dead dogs at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088995/117-dog-remains-found-at-mirandas-rescue-during-multiagency-investigation\">Miranda’s Rescue\u003c/a>, a troubled “no-kill” sanctuary in Humboldt County, filed a legal complaint on Monday with the California attorney general to remove the remaining animals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jennifer Raymond asked Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office, which oversees charities in the state, to ensure owner Shannon Miranda isn’t hiding or selling off assets, and to move to revoke the nonprofit’s status. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ I am very concerned about the animals that are remaining on the property,” Raymond told KQED. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In April, Raymond and another Humboldt County resident, Jenna Moore, went onto the sanctuary property in Fortuna and dug up the bodies of eight dogs — including one later traced back to Oakland Animal Services. \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/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_8001-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088664\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_8001-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_8001-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_8001-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputy inspects dogs in a kennel at Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna on June 23, 2026. (Mark McKenna for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The two women presented this evidence to local authorities, prompting an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089788/amid-mirandas-rescue-probe-lawmakers-push-animal-shelter-oversight\">investigation\u003c/a> by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. In June, law enforcement exhumed the intact remains of 117 more dogs, plus many more skulls, bones, loose microchips and bodies in “advanced stages of decomposition.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am also perplexed that after all that’s been revealed, that after digging up 117 decomposing dog bodies with ostensible bullet holes in their heads, that the animals are still there,” Raymond said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Miranda has \u003ca href=\"https://kymkemp.com/2026/07/31/shannon-miranda-defends-himself-levels-criticism-at-sheriffs-office-in-public-statement/\">denied\u003c/a> the allegations that he killed dogs for profit and has called Raymond and Moore “bullies and stalkers.” Miranda’s attorney, Allison Jackson, did not respond to KQED’s request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The FBI, U.S. Department of Agriculture and California Department of Justice are all involved in the investigation. So far, no charges have been filed against Miranda. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The complaint comes one day after animal welfare organizations gathered in Sacramento to call for the creation of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096327/advocates-divided-on-how-to-fix-californias-strained-animal-rescue-system\">a new state agency\u003c/a> to regulate rescues and other animal companion organizations. Advocates hope policy change can help prevent tragedies in the future.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ It is astonishing that a man who was operating a mass animal grave is still in possession of 40 dogs and an unknown number of cats, horses, and birds,” said Vanessa Shakib, co-founder of the nonprofit law firm Advancing Law for Animals. “That’s why we’re asking the California attorney general to step in.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The complaint asks Bonta’s office to seek the appointment of a receiver to oversee the animals’ care and adoption. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It also asks the attorney general to move to dissolve Miranda’s Rescue on the grounds that it is misusing its assets and conducting its business in a way that is “inconsistent with its charitable purposes.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dating back to 2006, Raymond said she filed several written complaints about Miranda’s Rescue with local law enforcement, but never received a response. In 2024, Raymond reached out to Bonta’s office — and was told to contact local law enforcement. She said she heard the same thing from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the DOJ and the IRS.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In order to preserve assets so that there can be some reparations paid to people who have been injured by him, we’re asking that the assets basically be frozen,” Raymond said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The filing comes weeks after Miranda and his husband, James Oxborrow, \u003ca href=\"https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2026/aug/3/shannon-miranda-and-husband-put-las-vegas-home-mar/\">put \u003c/a>their 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom home in Las Vegas up for sale. It’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.lasvegasluxuryresidences.com/search/listing/362-wiseton-ave-las-vegas-nv--2804700/\">listed\u003c/a> for nearly $1.1 million. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The attorney general did not immediately respond to KQED’s request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "under-a-sacramento-bridge-californias-largest-urban-bat-colony-takes-flight-every-night",
"title": "Under a Sacramento Bridge, California's Largest Urban Bat Colony Takes Flight Every Night",
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"headTitle": "Under a Sacramento Bridge, California’s Largest Urban Bat Colony Takes Flight Every Night | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Every summer, as the sun sets over the Yolo Causeway just outside \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sacramento\">Sacramento\u003c/a>, a quarter of a million bats stream out from beneath the bridge. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Drivers crossing Interstate 80 rarely know they’re there — the bats’ wingbeats and chirps drowned out by the rush of trucks and cars crossing the bridge.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But from June through August, visitors can watch thousands of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0OMf2I3lH4&time_continue=9&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org\">bats \u003c/a>spiral out from \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0OMf2I3lH4&time_continue=9&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org\">under the causeway\u003c/a> into the dusk sky in a phenomenon locals call a “bat-nado” — on guided tours run by the \u003ca href=\"https://yolobasin.org/bat-talk-tours/?playlist=f679ad2&video=83d2451\">Yolo Basin Foundation.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087049\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Erik Oberg, left, and Jessica McCartney, right, record as bats fly under a bridge in Davis on June 4, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A maternal colony, hiding in plain sight\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bats living under the causeway are part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0OMf2I3lH4&time_continue=9&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org\">one of the largest \u003c/a>urban colonies of Mexican free-tailed bats \u003ca href=\"https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/bat-colonies-habitats\">in the country\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Right now, the camp is almost entirely mothers and their pups, said Corky Quirk, the Yolo Basin Foundation’s program coordinator. Females give birth in early summer and stay with their young for about two months, until the pups are strong enough to fly on their own.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a little sign this year; it says, ‘Sleeping bats above, please stay out,'” Quirk said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She has run the bat tours since 2004 and, on a hot summer evening in June, warns a group of around 30 onlookers not to bother the critters under the bridge. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092421\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bats fly under a bridge in Davis on June 4, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Quirk didn’t start out as a bat specialist. She was hired by the foundation to teach schoolchildren about wetlands and birds, and only later took over the bat program when the person before her retired. Nearly two decades later, she’s become fascinated by these flying mammals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I have always loved flight, and I’ve always loved the underdog, and a bat is sort of the mix of the two, right?” she said. “And they are out there doing ecosystem services that are underappreciated.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Yolo Bypass, where the colony lives, doubles as flood control for the city of Sacramento and farmland for rice crops. The bats act as natural pest control for the rice paddies, hunting the armyworm, a crop-damaging caterpillar that grows into a moth.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Charlie Russell, a decadeslong volunteer with the bat tours, said that the Mexican free-tailed bats have a symbiotic relationship with the region’s rice farmers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is the only place [a farmer] never applies any insecticides to control the armyworm, because he’s got a quarter of a million bats taking care of the moths,” he said. “They’re incredibly important to our environment.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the tour, Russell held up a Mexican free-tailed bat for observation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While visitors couldn’t touch the bats, they could get close enough to marvel at just how small they were — each one tiny enough to fit in a palm, with five delicate fingers stretching out to support the thin membrane that lets them fly. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Their tiny teeth are just large enough to consume vast quantities of soft-bodied prey like moths and mosquitoes, and their narrow wings were built for speed. They’re the world’s fastest mammal.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’ve been clocked up to 98 mph, so that’s faster than your cheetahs,” Russell said. “And they’re cute.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1748\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087046\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED-2000x1398.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED-1536x1074.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED-2048x1432.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Corky Quirk, Yolo Basin Foundation Bat Program Coordinator, wears a Mexican free-tailed bat earring in Davis on June 4, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They may be the perfect size to cup in two hands, but Russell was quick to warn that they’re not pets, no matter how at home they seem around people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These guys would normally be living in caves or rock crevices, but we see them under bridges, tall buildings and parking garages,” Russell said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Quirk said that bats often suffer from a reputation problem — one that has more to do with movies and vampires than with the creatures themselves. Bat populations across California are declining, driven largely by habitat loss, pesticides and predation, and she argues that public perception is tied directly to how well the animals get protected.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Bats are pretty misunderstood, and often when people learn more about them, they begin to appreciate them,” Quirk said. “And we protect what we care about.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stay for the ‘batnado’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Just after sunset, a thin, dark ribbon of bats peels away from beneath the bridge. The line widens as more join, while the sound of beating wings competes with traffic overhead.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Linda Harter, who has volunteered with the tours for more than a decade, still finds it hard not to react.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Oh, look, they’re flying out right here over the trees,” she said. “They are amazing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She’s also become adept at telling bats from birds. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087047\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Charlie Russell, volunteer at the Yolo Basin Foundation, center, shows volunteers-in-training how to use SonoBat equipment in Davis on June 4, 2026. SonoBat is a software used to analyze bat calls. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you’re wondering, are these swallows or bats, the bats are flapping all the time,” she said. “If you see them start to glide, that’s a bird.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Deleo Garcia-Lopez, who came to watch the flyout for the first time, said seeing the bats in action made him realize how much nature was nearby the urban environment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s cool to think there’s definitely some system that they all follow,” he said. “It’s an intricate world that they’re building that’s just under our noses, right under a bridge.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The experience took on more personal meaning for Priya Vasu, who recently moved to Sacramento from the Bay Area, and was struck by the colony’s maternal bond.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It feels like a good metaphor for me,” Vasu said. “The bats are staying with their mothers for their [early] lives — My mom will always be with me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a longtime Sacramento resident, the bat-lined sunset changed Nikita Sinha’s understanding of a bridge she drove down regularly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It felt so special because you could see the Sacramento skyline in the distance,” she said. “It just felt really majestic in that setting sun.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Yolo Basin Foundation runs public bat tours near Sacramento from June through August. The nightly flyout can also be viewed for free at sunset without a formal tour.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Every summer, as the sun sets over the Yolo Causeway just outside \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sacramento\">Sacramento\u003c/a>, a quarter of a million bats stream out from beneath the bridge. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Every summer, as the sun sets over the Yolo Causeway just outside \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sacramento\">Sacramento\u003c/a>, a quarter of a million bats stream out from beneath the bridge. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Drivers crossing Interstate 80 rarely know they’re there — the bats’ wingbeats and chirps drowned out by the rush of trucks and cars crossing the bridge.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But from June through August, visitors can watch thousands of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0OMf2I3lH4&time_continue=9&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org\">bats \u003c/a>spiral out from \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0OMf2I3lH4&time_continue=9&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org\">under the causeway\u003c/a> into the dusk sky in a phenomenon locals call a “bat-nado” — on guided tours run by the \u003ca href=\"https://yolobasin.org/bat-talk-tours/?playlist=f679ad2&video=83d2451\">Yolo Basin Foundation.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But from June through August, visitors can watch thousands of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0OMf2I3lH4&time_continue=9&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org\">bats \u003c/a>spiral out from \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0OMf2I3lH4&time_continue=9&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org\">under the causeway\u003c/a> into the dusk sky in a phenomenon locals call a “bat-nado” — on guided tours run by the \u003ca href=\"https://yolobasin.org/bat-talk-tours/?playlist=f679ad2&video=83d2451\">Yolo Basin Foundation.\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/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087049\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Erik Oberg, left, and Jessica McCartney, right, record as bats fly under a bridge in Davis on June 4, 2026.\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/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087049\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Erik Oberg, left, and Jessica McCartney, right, record as bats fly under a bridge in Davis on June 4, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"text": "A maternal colony, hiding in plain sight",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A maternal colony, hiding in plain sight\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A maternal colony, hiding in plain sight\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The bats living under the causeway are part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0OMf2I3lH4&time_continue=9&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org\">one of the largest \u003c/a>urban colonies of Mexican free-tailed bats \u003ca href=\"https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/bat-colonies-habitats\">in the country\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The bats living under the causeway are part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0OMf2I3lH4&time_continue=9&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org\">one of the largest \u003c/a>urban colonies of Mexican free-tailed bats \u003ca href=\"https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/bat-colonies-habitats\">in the country\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Right now, the camp is almost entirely mothers and their pups, said Corky Quirk, the Yolo Basin Foundation’s program coordinator. Females give birth in early summer and stay with their young for about two months, until the pups are strong enough to fly on their own.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Right now, the camp is almost entirely mothers and their pups, said Corky Quirk, the Yolo Basin Foundation’s program coordinator. Females give birth in early summer and stay with their young for about two months, until the pups are strong enough to fly on their own.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We have a little sign this year; it says, ‘Sleeping bats above, please stay out,'” Quirk said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We have a little sign this year; it says, ‘Sleeping bats above, please stay out,'” Quirk said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She has run the bat tours since 2004 and, on a hot summer evening in June, warns a group of around 30 onlookers not to bother the critters under the bridge. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She has run the bat tours since 2004 and, on a hot summer evening in June, warns a group of around 30 onlookers not to bother the critters under the bridge. \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/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092421\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bats fly under a bridge in Davis on June 4, 2026.\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/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092421\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bats fly under a bridge in Davis on June 4, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Quirk didn’t start out as a bat specialist. She was hired by the foundation to teach schoolchildren about wetlands and birds, and only later took over the bat program when the person before her retired. Nearly two decades later, she’s become fascinated by these flying mammals. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I have always loved flight, and I’ve always loved the underdog, and a bat is sort of the mix of the two, right?” she said. “And they are out there doing ecosystem services that are underappreciated.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Yolo Bypass, where the colony lives, doubles as flood control for the city of Sacramento and farmland for rice crops. The bats act as natural pest control for the rice paddies, hunting the armyworm, a crop-damaging caterpillar that grows into a moth.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Yolo Bypass, where the colony lives, doubles as flood control for the city of Sacramento and farmland for rice crops. The bats act as natural pest control for the rice paddies, hunting the armyworm, a crop-damaging caterpillar that grows into a moth.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Charlie Russell, a decadeslong volunteer with the bat tours, said that the Mexican free-tailed bats have a symbiotic relationship with the region’s rice farmers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Charlie Russell, a decadeslong volunteer with the bat tours, said that the Mexican free-tailed bats have a symbiotic relationship with the region’s rice farmers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This is the only place [a farmer] never applies any insecticides to control the armyworm, because he’s got a quarter of a million bats taking care of the moths,” he said. “They’re incredibly important to our environment.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This is the only place [a farmer] never applies any insecticides to control the armyworm, because he’s got a quarter of a million bats taking care of the moths,” he said. “They’re incredibly important to our environment.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the tour, Russell held up a Mexican free-tailed bat for observation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While visitors couldn’t touch the bats, they could get close enough to marvel at just how small they were — each one tiny enough to fit in a palm, with five delicate fingers stretching out to support the thin membrane that lets them fly. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While visitors couldn’t touch the bats, they could get close enough to marvel at just how small they were — each one tiny enough to fit in a palm, with five delicate fingers stretching out to support the thin membrane that lets them fly. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Their tiny teeth are just large enough to consume vast quantities of soft-bodied prey like moths and mosquitoes, and their narrow wings were built for speed. They’re the world’s fastest mammal.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Their tiny teeth are just large enough to consume vast quantities of soft-bodied prey like moths and mosquitoes, and their narrow wings were built for speed. They’re the world’s fastest mammal.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They’ve been clocked up to 98 mph, so that’s faster than your cheetahs,” Russell said. “And they’re cute.”\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/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087046\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED-2000x1398.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED-1536x1074.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED-2048x1432.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Corky Quirk, Yolo Basin Foundation Bat Program Coordinator, wears a Mexican free-tailed bat earring in Davis on June 4, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They may be the perfect size to cup in two hands, but Russell was quick to warn that they’re not pets, no matter how at home they seem around people.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“These guys would normally be living in caves or rock crevices, but we see them under bridges, tall buildings and parking garages,” Russell said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Quirk said that bats often suffer from a reputation problem — one that has more to do with movies and vampires than with the creatures themselves. Bat populations across California are declining, driven largely by habitat loss, pesticides and predation, and she argues that public perception is tied directly to how well the animals get protected.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Quirk said that bats often suffer from a reputation problem — one that has more to do with movies and vampires than with the creatures themselves. Bat populations across California are declining, driven largely by habitat loss, pesticides and predation, and she argues that public perception is tied directly to how well the animals get protected.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Bats are pretty misunderstood, and often when people learn more about them, they begin to appreciate them,” Quirk said. “And we protect what we care about.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"text": "Stay for the ‘batnado’",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Just after sunset, a thin, dark ribbon of bats peels away from beneath the bridge. The line widens as more join, while the sound of beating wings competes with traffic overhead.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Linda Harter, who has volunteered with the tours for more than a decade, still finds it hard not to react.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Oh, look, they’re flying out right here over the trees,” she said. “They are amazing.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Oh, look, they’re flying out right here over the trees,” she said. “They are amazing.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She’s also become adept at telling bats from birds. \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/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087047\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Charlie Russell, volunteer at the Yolo Basin Foundation, center, shows volunteers-in-training how to use SonoBat equipment in Davis on June 4, 2026. SonoBat is a software used to analyze bat calls.\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/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087047\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Charlie Russell, volunteer at the Yolo Basin Foundation, center, shows volunteers-in-training how to use SonoBat equipment in Davis on June 4, 2026. SonoBat is a software used to analyze bat calls.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If you’re wondering, are these swallows or bats, the bats are flapping all the time,” she said. “If you see them start to glide, that’s a bird.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If you’re wondering, are these swallows or bats, the bats are flapping all the time,” she said. “If you see them start to glide, that’s a bird.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Deleo Garcia-Lopez, who came to watch the flyout for the first time, said seeing the bats in action made him realize how much nature was nearby the urban environment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s cool to think there’s definitely some system that they all follow,” he said. “It’s an intricate world that they’re building that’s just under our noses, right under a bridge.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s cool to think there’s definitely some system that they all follow,” he said. “It’s an intricate world that they’re building that’s just under our noses, right under a bridge.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The experience took on more personal meaning for Priya Vasu, who recently moved to Sacramento from the Bay Area, and was struck by the colony’s maternal bond.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The experience took on more personal meaning for Priya Vasu, who recently moved to Sacramento from the Bay Area, and was struck by the colony’s maternal bond.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It feels like a good metaphor for me,” Vasu said. “The bats are staying with their mothers for their [early] lives — My mom will always be with me.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It feels like a good metaphor for me,” Vasu said. “The bats are staying with their mothers for their [early] lives — My mom will always be with me.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As a longtime Sacramento resident, the bat-lined sunset changed Nikita Sinha’s understanding of a bridge she drove down regularly.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It felt so special because you could see the Sacramento skyline in the distance,” she said. “It just felt really majestic in that setting sun.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Yolo Basin Foundation runs public bat tours near Sacramento from June through August. The nightly flyout can also be viewed for free at sunset without a formal tour.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Yolo Basin Foundation runs public bat tours near Sacramento from June through August. The nightly flyout can also be viewed for free at sunset without a formal tour.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "As bat populations across California decline, driven largely by habitat loss, pesticides and predation, a Yolo County tour group tries to reshape public perception on the nocturnal neighbors.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Every summer, as the sun sets over the Yolo Causeway just outside \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sacramento\">Sacramento\u003c/a>, a quarter of a million bats stream out from beneath the bridge. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Drivers crossing Interstate 80 rarely know they’re there — the bats’ wingbeats and chirps drowned out by the rush of trucks and cars crossing the bridge.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But from June through August, visitors can watch thousands of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0OMf2I3lH4&time_continue=9&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org\">bats \u003c/a>spiral out from \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0OMf2I3lH4&time_continue=9&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org\">under the causeway\u003c/a> into the dusk sky in a phenomenon locals call a “bat-nado” — on guided tours run by the \u003ca href=\"https://yolobasin.org/bat-talk-tours/?playlist=f679ad2&video=83d2451\">Yolo Basin Foundation.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087049\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-15-KQED-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Erik Oberg, left, and Jessica McCartney, right, record as bats fly under a bridge in Davis on June 4, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A maternal colony, hiding in plain sight\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bats living under the causeway are part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0OMf2I3lH4&time_continue=9&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fyolobasin.org\">one of the largest \u003c/a>urban colonies of Mexican free-tailed bats \u003ca href=\"https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/bat-colonies-habitats\">in the country\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Right now, the camp is almost entirely mothers and their pups, said Corky Quirk, the Yolo Basin Foundation’s program coordinator. Females give birth in early summer and stay with their young for about two months, until the pups are strong enough to fly on their own.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a little sign this year; it says, ‘Sleeping bats above, please stay out,'” Quirk said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She has run the bat tours since 2004 and, on a hot summer evening in June, warns a group of around 30 onlookers not to bother the critters under the bridge. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092421\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260604_YoloBats_GC-14-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bats fly under a bridge in Davis on June 4, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Quirk didn’t start out as a bat specialist. She was hired by the foundation to teach schoolchildren about wetlands and birds, and only later took over the bat program when the person before her retired. Nearly two decades later, she’s become fascinated by these flying mammals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I have always loved flight, and I’ve always loved the underdog, and a bat is sort of the mix of the two, right?” she said. “And they are out there doing ecosystem services that are underappreciated.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Yolo Bypass, where the colony lives, doubles as flood control for the city of Sacramento and farmland for rice crops. The bats act as natural pest control for the rice paddies, hunting the armyworm, a crop-damaging caterpillar that grows into a moth.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Charlie Russell, a decadeslong volunteer with the bat tours, said that the Mexican free-tailed bats have a symbiotic relationship with the region’s rice farmers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is the only place [a farmer] never applies any insecticides to control the armyworm, because he’s got a quarter of a million bats taking care of the moths,” he said. “They’re incredibly important to our environment.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the tour, Russell held up a Mexican free-tailed bat for observation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While visitors couldn’t touch the bats, they could get close enough to marvel at just how small they were — each one tiny enough to fit in a palm, with five delicate fingers stretching out to support the thin membrane that lets them fly. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Their tiny teeth are just large enough to consume vast quantities of soft-bodied prey like moths and mosquitoes, and their narrow wings were built for speed. They’re the world’s fastest mammal.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’ve been clocked up to 98 mph, so that’s faster than your cheetahs,” Russell said. “And they’re cute.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1748\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087046\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED-2000x1398.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED-1536x1074.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-9-KQED-2048x1432.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Corky Quirk, Yolo Basin Foundation Bat Program Coordinator, wears a Mexican free-tailed bat earring in Davis on June 4, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They may be the perfect size to cup in two hands, but Russell was quick to warn that they’re not pets, no matter how at home they seem around people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These guys would normally be living in caves or rock crevices, but we see them under bridges, tall buildings and parking garages,” Russell said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Quirk said that bats often suffer from a reputation problem — one that has more to do with movies and vampires than with the creatures themselves. Bat populations across California are declining, driven largely by habitat loss, pesticides and predation, and she argues that public perception is tied directly to how well the animals get protected.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Bats are pretty misunderstood, and often when people learn more about them, they begin to appreciate them,” Quirk said. “And we protect what we care about.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stay for the ‘batnado’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Just after sunset, a thin, dark ribbon of bats peels away from beneath the bridge. The line widens as more join, while the sound of beating wings competes with traffic overhead.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Linda Harter, who has volunteered with the tours for more than a decade, still finds it hard not to react.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Oh, look, they’re flying out right here over the trees,” she said. “They are amazing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She’s also become adept at telling bats from birds. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087047\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-10-KQED-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Charlie Russell, volunteer at the Yolo Basin Foundation, center, shows volunteers-in-training how to use SonoBat equipment in Davis on June 4, 2026. SonoBat is a software used to analyze bat calls. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you’re wondering, are these swallows or bats, the bats are flapping all the time,” she said. “If you see them start to glide, that’s a bird.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Deleo Garcia-Lopez, who came to watch the flyout for the first time, said seeing the bats in action made him realize how much nature was nearby the urban environment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s cool to think there’s definitely some system that they all follow,” he said. “It’s an intricate world that they’re building that’s just under our noses, right under a bridge.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The experience took on more personal meaning for Priya Vasu, who recently moved to Sacramento from the Bay Area, and was struck by the colony’s maternal bond.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It feels like a good metaphor for me,” Vasu said. “The bats are staying with their mothers for their [early] lives — My mom will always be with me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a longtime Sacramento resident, the bat-lined sunset changed Nikita Sinha’s understanding of a bridge she drove down regularly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It felt so special because you could see the Sacramento skyline in the distance,” she said. “It just felt really majestic in that setting sun.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Yolo Basin Foundation runs public bat tours near Sacramento from June through August. The nightly flyout can also be viewed for free at sunset without a formal tour.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Sacramento County Seeks Dogs Sent to Rescue Under Investigation for Animal Abuse",
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"content": "\u003cp>Sacramento County Animal Services has \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-i295jgO3jG55I7Xc-vCtZcVEDaXVA3_/view\">filed a legal demand\u003c/a> to retrieve dogs that were transferred to a “no-kill” rescue at the heart of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088995/117-dog-remains-found-at-mirandas-rescue-during-multiagency-investigation\">sprawling multi-agency investigation into allegations\u003c/a> of animal abuse and fraud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The filing alleges the dogs were transferred to Miranda’s Rescue through “straw” rescues without the county’s approval or knowledge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In early May, the Humboldt County Sheriff began investigating Shannon Miranda, the rescue’s owner, after two local animal advocates, Jenna Moore and Jennifer Raymond, went onto the 50-acre rescue property at night and dug up the bodies of eight dogs that appeared to have gunshot wounds to the head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, investigators from the sheriff’s office, FBI, California Department of Justice, USDA and Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office served a second search warrant on Miranda’s property, recovering 117 dog bodies, 21 skulls, adoption paperwork and other evidence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ The facts that have been uncovered are deeply disturbing, and I understand the community’s desire for answers, accountability, and justice,” Sheriff William Honsal said at \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=mEwSAYzEwY4umkw1&fbclid=IwY2xjawSv29dleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFoazl0Mm90TXdJblhGQk92c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpjmjUPZOmagRbfhPTDMj_qG8uKWisSi1w5RBncYw6HbMD5WE_MSh4A1Om1X_aem_qBr9zErXpswRVvGUc6EW7Q&v=YwUejiZ3Hng&feature=youtu.be\">a press conference\u003c/a> on Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, 91 microchips have been recovered from the scene, he said. Many of them “trace back to shelters and rescue facilities throughout the state.” Honsal asked for the public’s patience as investigators work through the evidence in what he described as a “complex case.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12088668\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12088668\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9122-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9122-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9122-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9122-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna on June 23, 2026, where the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant in connection with an ongoing animal cruelty and fraud case involving the animal rescue. \u003ccite>(Mark McKenna for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“ This case will not be solved in the public forum,” he said. “It’ll be handled through the criminal justice system and, if appropriate, a court of law.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miranda’s attorney, Allison Jackson, declined to comment, and directed KQED to an \u003ca href=\"https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2026/06/never-have-i-seen-in-30-years-of.html?m=1\">online statement\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mr. Miranda has gone on the record stating every animal that dies or is put down is buried on the property, and this has occurred for 30 years,” the statement reads. “It is not surprising that the deputies disinterred 30 years of dogs, cats, sheep, goats, and horses.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jackson also wrote that Miranda and his family have faced death threats, urged the sheriff to put a stop to “salacious comments at press conferences” and called the complainants “vigilantes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Honsal said the rate of dogs being euthanized at Miranda’s, according to the evidence his office collected, appeared “outside the scope” of normal shelter operations.[aside postID=news_12088995 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_8513-KQED.jpg']He said the case also highlights a bigger crisis in the animal shelter system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California has a serious spay and neuter problem, and something needs to be done about it,” he said. “Animal shelters across the state are overwhelmed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sheriff called on lawmakers to pass \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB631/id/3261213\">AB-631\u003c/a>, a bill proposed last year that died in committee, which would have required rescues like Miranda’s to keep better records of adoptions, death and transfers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This type of accountability and transparency is necessary,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sacramento’s Bradshaw Animal Shelter stopped transfers to Miranda’s Rescue over a year ago after discovering during routine due diligence that its nonprofit status had lapsed, according to spokeswoman Brittani Peterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The legal filing said at least five dogs were transferred there anyway with the help of two dog rescues — Resilient Dog Rescue and Scooter’s Pals — acting as intermediaries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heidi Hatfield, the CEO of Resilient Dog Rescue in Stockton, said she has known Shannon Miranda for about five years and that she trusted him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12088671\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12088671\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9055-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9055-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9055-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9055-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crews dig at the suspected site of animal remains at Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna, California, on June 23, 2026. \u003ccite>(Marc McKenna for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t know there was another reason why they shouldn’t be going to Shannon, aside from paperwork,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the dogs were picked up from Bradshaw and taken to Miranda’s Rescue by a volunteer that her organization had given “pull rights” to. Resilient Dog Rescue never had possession of the animals, and all transfer and adoption fees were paid directly to Miranda’s Rescue by private donors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scooter’s Pals did not respond to requests for comment. “We are fully cooperating with the authorities in support of the animals,” a statement on the rescue’s Facebook page reads. “No Scooter’s dogs are currently at Miranda’s.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two officers from Sacramento Animal Services were at Miranda’s Rescue last week to retrieve two dogs originally from Bradshaw: Brutus and Peorot. Peterson said Miranda refused to allow the officers to see the dogs, and they left empty-handed. One dog, Oliver, was retrieved by the shelter back in early June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jackson did not respond to questions about the Sacramento demand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Honsal said that there are still 45 dogs at Miranda’s Rescue and that the facility remains open. If Miranda becomes unable to care for the animals, the sheriff said, his office has a plan to re-home the dogs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12088669\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12088669\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9154-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9154-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9154-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9154-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Humboldt County Sheriff Bill Honsal, left, addresses media and community members at a press conference discussing the warrant served at Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna on June 23, 2026. \u003ccite>(Mark McKenna for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The sheriff asked that anyone with information about the case or about animals sent to the rescue in the past year reach \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sX6haTOn3xp463wHaoRfSolRJ_d9MK3o\">out to their tipline\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The allegations that Miranda took in dogs for profit and then killed them have rocked the rescue community, according to Hatfield.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her organization has been cooperating with authorities and trying to help Bradshaw recover the animals in any way they can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We felt responsible for the dogs,” she said. “We wanna help them because they’re there because of our being idiots, I guess. Trusting basically people we shouldn’t have trusted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Zoë Ferrigno contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Sacramento County Animal Services has \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-i295jgO3jG55I7Xc-vCtZcVEDaXVA3_/view\">filed a legal demand\u003c/a> to retrieve dogs that were transferred to a “no-kill” rescue at the heart of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088995/117-dog-remains-found-at-mirandas-rescue-during-multiagency-investigation\">sprawling multi-agency investigation into allegations\u003c/a> of animal abuse and fraud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The filing alleges the dogs were transferred to Miranda’s Rescue through “straw” rescues without the county’s approval or knowledge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In early May, the Humboldt County Sheriff began investigating Shannon Miranda, the rescue’s owner, after two local animal advocates, Jenna Moore and Jennifer Raymond, went onto the 50-acre rescue property at night and dug up the bodies of eight dogs that appeared to have gunshot wounds to the head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, investigators from the sheriff’s office, FBI, California Department of Justice, USDA and Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office served a second search warrant on Miranda’s property, recovering 117 dog bodies, 21 skulls, adoption paperwork and other evidence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ The facts that have been uncovered are deeply disturbing, and I understand the community’s desire for answers, accountability, and justice,” Sheriff William Honsal said at \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=mEwSAYzEwY4umkw1&fbclid=IwY2xjawSv29dleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFoazl0Mm90TXdJblhGQk92c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpjmjUPZOmagRbfhPTDMj_qG8uKWisSi1w5RBncYw6HbMD5WE_MSh4A1Om1X_aem_qBr9zErXpswRVvGUc6EW7Q&v=YwUejiZ3Hng&feature=youtu.be\">a press conference\u003c/a> on Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, 91 microchips have been recovered from the scene, he said. Many of them “trace back to shelters and rescue facilities throughout the state.” Honsal asked for the public’s patience as investigators work through the evidence in what he described as a “complex case.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12088668\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12088668\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9122-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9122-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9122-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9122-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna on June 23, 2026, where the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant in connection with an ongoing animal cruelty and fraud case involving the animal rescue. \u003ccite>(Mark McKenna for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“ This case will not be solved in the public forum,” he said. “It’ll be handled through the criminal justice system and, if appropriate, a court of law.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miranda’s attorney, Allison Jackson, declined to comment, and directed KQED to an \u003ca href=\"https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2026/06/never-have-i-seen-in-30-years-of.html?m=1\">online statement\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mr. Miranda has gone on the record stating every animal that dies or is put down is buried on the property, and this has occurred for 30 years,” the statement reads. “It is not surprising that the deputies disinterred 30 years of dogs, cats, sheep, goats, and horses.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jackson also wrote that Miranda and his family have faced death threats, urged the sheriff to put a stop to “salacious comments at press conferences” and called the complainants “vigilantes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Honsal said the rate of dogs being euthanized at Miranda’s, according to the evidence his office collected, appeared “outside the scope” of normal shelter operations.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>He said the case also highlights a bigger crisis in the animal shelter system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California has a serious spay and neuter problem, and something needs to be done about it,” he said. “Animal shelters across the state are overwhelmed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sheriff called on lawmakers to pass \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB631/id/3261213\">AB-631\u003c/a>, a bill proposed last year that died in committee, which would have required rescues like Miranda’s to keep better records of adoptions, death and transfers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This type of accountability and transparency is necessary,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sacramento’s Bradshaw Animal Shelter stopped transfers to Miranda’s Rescue over a year ago after discovering during routine due diligence that its nonprofit status had lapsed, according to spokeswoman Brittani Peterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The legal filing said at least five dogs were transferred there anyway with the help of two dog rescues — Resilient Dog Rescue and Scooter’s Pals — acting as intermediaries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heidi Hatfield, the CEO of Resilient Dog Rescue in Stockton, said she has known Shannon Miranda for about five years and that she trusted him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12088671\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12088671\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9055-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9055-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9055-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9055-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crews dig at the suspected site of animal remains at Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna, California, on June 23, 2026. \u003ccite>(Marc McKenna for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t know there was another reason why they shouldn’t be going to Shannon, aside from paperwork,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the dogs were picked up from Bradshaw and taken to Miranda’s Rescue by a volunteer that her organization had given “pull rights” to. Resilient Dog Rescue never had possession of the animals, and all transfer and adoption fees were paid directly to Miranda’s Rescue by private donors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scooter’s Pals did not respond to requests for comment. “We are fully cooperating with the authorities in support of the animals,” a statement on the rescue’s Facebook page reads. “No Scooter’s dogs are currently at Miranda’s.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two officers from Sacramento Animal Services were at Miranda’s Rescue last week to retrieve two dogs originally from Bradshaw: Brutus and Peorot. Peterson said Miranda refused to allow the officers to see the dogs, and they left empty-handed. One dog, Oliver, was retrieved by the shelter back in early June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jackson did not respond to questions about the Sacramento demand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Honsal said that there are still 45 dogs at Miranda’s Rescue and that the facility remains open. If Miranda becomes unable to care for the animals, the sheriff said, his office has a plan to re-home the dogs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12088669\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12088669\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9154-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9154-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9154-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/DOG.EXHUMING.MIRADNDAS.RESCUE.DSC_9154-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Humboldt County Sheriff Bill Honsal, left, addresses media and community members at a press conference discussing the warrant served at Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna on June 23, 2026. \u003ccite>(Mark McKenna for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The sheriff asked that anyone with information about the case or about animals sent to the rescue in the past year reach \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sX6haTOn3xp463wHaoRfSolRJ_d9MK3o\">out to their tipline\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The allegations that Miranda took in dogs for profit and then killed them have rocked the rescue community, according to Hatfield.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her organization has been cooperating with authorities and trying to help Bradshaw recover the animals in any way they can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We felt responsible for the dogs,” she said. “We wanna help them because they’re there because of our being idiots, I guess. Trusting basically people we shouldn’t have trusted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Zoë Ferrigno contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "west-sacramentos-indigenous-urban-farms-grow-fresh-food-and-community",
"title": "West Sacramento’s Indigenous Urban Farms Grow Fresh Food and Community",
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"headTitle": "West Sacramento’s Indigenous Urban Farms Grow Fresh Food and Community | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This story is part of \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cb>\u003ci>How We Get By\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">full series here\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cb> \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Just across the river from California’s state Capitol, a vacant corner lot in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/yolo-county\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">West Sacramento\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> has been turned into something else.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cars pass by rows of lettuce, chard and broccoli and nearby, a group of young people moves between beds of soil, snipping stems, stacking crates and checking the day’s harvest. By the end of the day, all of it will be packed into bags and given away for free.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The space is part of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.3sistersgardens.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Three Sisters Gardens\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a network of urban farms started by Alfred Melbourne. What began as guerrilla gardening — planting flowers and vegetables in neglected lots — has grown into a nonprofit with four sites across West Sacramento. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At its core, the work is about turning unused land into something productive: teaching young people to grow food and getting it into the hands of people who need it.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And in this part of Yolo County, that need is significant — nearly \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sacregcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Yolo-Food-Access-Survey-Report.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">one in three households \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">experiences food insecurity.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073468\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073468\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-192-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-192-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-192-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-192-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alfred Melbourne, founder and director of Three Sisters Garden, at the garden in West Sacramento on Sept. 12, 2026. \u003ccite>(Louis Bryant III for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“How do we still live in a food desert?” Melbourne said. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A West Sacramento native, this is a question Melbourne has grappled with his entire life. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In an attempt to mitigate this, he gives away most of the produce grown on the land, with a goal to distribute 50, 000 pounds of free food this year, and having distributed 42,000 pounds of free food the year before. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He draws on his Indigenous roots to shape the gardens. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The hawk, they always seem to fly right above us,” Melbourne said, gesturing toward the sky. He takes it as a good sign.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He is a member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes and named the farms after the native “Three Sisters” method of planting corn, beans and squash together — each crop supporting the others.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That approach, he said, reflects a broader way of thinking about community — the heart of the farms he runs.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>From incarceration to intervention\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Melbourne grew up one street away from the 5th and C Street garden where he stood.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“For the youth growing up here, there wasn’t a lot of opportunity,” he said. “There was a gang \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://yoloda.org/appellate-court-upholds-gang-injunction/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">injunction \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">in place for almost 10 years, over-criminalizing our youth.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073467\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073467\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-150-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-150-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-150-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-150-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dominitt Henderson waters newly planted lettuce at Three Sisters Garden in West Sacramento on Sept. 12, 2026. \u003ccite>(Louis Bryant III for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At 19, he was arrested for the first time and eventually spent 18 years in prison for assault with a firearm and assault with a deadly weapon.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“As a youngster, I kind of just fell in with the bad crowd and made some poor choices, and I ended up incarcerated,” said Melbourne. “Incarceration is not something that I would wish upon my worst enemy.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For much of that time, he said, he resisted the system and his circumstances. But eventually, something shifted.[aside postID=news_12082596 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KQED_RURALMATERNALHEALTH_HIRES_02-KQED.jpg']\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I just sat there, and I closed my eyes, and I listened,” he said. “I saw what it was they were doing as a system to try to break us down, to kidnap us off the streets and profit off of us.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Melbourne spent time getting educated in prison and learned that it costs California nearly \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.lao.ca.gov/policyareas/cj/6_cj_inmatecost\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">$128,000 annually\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to incarcerate a person. That realization stayed with him. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I couldn’t allow that to happen,” he said. “Not to me any longer, or to anybody I knew or anybody in my community.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Melbourne was released, he returned to West Sacramento with a different sense of purpose — thinking about how to intervene with young people, before they ended up where he had.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We know that if you feed a kid better, they’ll perform better,” he said. “Test scores go up, behavior problems go down.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since 2018, he has built the nonprofit Three Sisters Gardens, spanning four farms across West Sacramento. But, not without some challenges.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The model remains susceptible to fluctuations in federal funding priorities.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073463\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073463\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-74-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-74-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-74-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-74-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kenny McDowell plants microgreen onions at Three Sisters Garden in West Sacramento on Feb. 12, 2026. \u003ccite>(Louis Bryant III for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Melbourne had set his sights on a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://iratracker.org/actions/epa-pushes-climate-groups-to-close-community-change-grant-program-grants/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">$21 million grant\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from the US Environmental Protection Agency, a program that was discontinued by the Trump administration. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Currently, the organization depends on a mix of local and state funding, with land leased from the city at a subsidized rate of $1 per month.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It took a lot of learning to know that I can transform what used to be an illegal business into a legal business,” said Melbourne. “And use our hustle mentality to support our youth and ourselves into a future that’s brighter for everyone.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Melbourne sees access to food as one entry point. But the work extends beyond nutrition — into job training, workforce development and life skills.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I want to use the lived experience that I have for all the pain and suffering that I went through to be able to change these youngsters, to divert them,” he said about being a mentor, educator and a resource for the young people in West Sacramento.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cultivating community\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nancy Long, 18, found the Three Sisters Gardens nearly two years ago, at a time when she felt unmoored. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, between packing produce for distribution and tending the soil, she said she has found a sense of purpose — in both the work itself and in giving food away.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073461\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-36-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-36-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-36-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-36-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Three Sisters Garden in West Sacramento on Feb. 12, 2026. \u003ccite>(Louis Bryant III for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I grew up very poor, and I feel like this is actually helping a lot of people because not a lot of people get food,” she said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Long, who is Cambodian American, now brings produce home for her family, who use it in soups. Before joining the garden, she said she struggled in school and often kept to herself.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I was really in a bad place in my life,” she said. “When I got this job, I changed a lot, and it also helped me with my mental health issues.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Working at the garden, she said, has changed how she sees herself and how she interacts with others.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I feel like this garden has made me a better person,” she said. “I really am glad, and I appreciate that I have Alfred in this.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many of the young people who come through the gardens are looking for stability — a steady job, guidance, a place where they feel seen.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Melbourne’s role often extends beyond supervision. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He checks in on the young people working with him and, at times, helps them navigate challenges outside of work.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073465\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073465\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-113-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-113-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-113-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-113-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kenny McDowell plants onion microgreens at Three Sisters Garden in West Sacramento on Feb. 12, 2026. \u003ccite>(Louis Bryant III for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For 21-year-old Dominitt Henderson, that meant straightforward advice.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“He will tell you the truth straight up to your face,” Henderson said. “He won’t hide nothing from you — that’s what I like.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Other youth described more tangible forms of support.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“He helps me a lot,” Amari Sullivan said. “He gives me jackets — whatever I need.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kenny McDowell said that support has made a difference during difficult moments.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“There’ll be times where I miss a couple of car payments,” McDowell said. “He’ll help me out. Little things like that, it counts.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Over time, the work begins to take root in other ways. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">McDowell said being part of the garden gave him a sense of direction and something to build toward.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073462\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073462\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-57-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-57-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-57-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-57-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Interns Damia Zhang and Leilania Tian inspect seed containers at Three Sisters Garden in West Sacramento on Feb. 12, 2026. \u003ccite>(Louis Bryant III for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“This was a purpose,” he said. “I want to see a brighter future.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Melbourne described the work as reciprocal — something built alongside the young people, not just for them.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It’s them coming to me and us just feeding off of each other,” he said. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“What I really, truthfully, in the end want to build is community.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This story is part of \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cb>\u003ci>How We Get By\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">full series here\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cb> \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Just across the river from California’s state Capitol, a vacant corner lot in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/yolo-county\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">West Sacramento\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> has been turned into something else.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cars pass by rows of lettuce, chard and broccoli and nearby, a group of young people moves between beds of soil, snipping stems, stacking crates and checking the day’s harvest. By the end of the day, all of it will be packed into bags and given away for free.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The space is part of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.3sistersgardens.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Three Sisters Gardens\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a network of urban farms started by Alfred Melbourne. What began as guerrilla gardening — planting flowers and vegetables in neglected lots — has grown into a nonprofit with four sites across West Sacramento. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At its core, the work is about turning unused land into something productive: teaching young people to grow food and getting it into the hands of people who need it.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And in this part of Yolo County, that need is significant — nearly \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sacregcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Yolo-Food-Access-Survey-Report.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">one in three households \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">experiences food insecurity.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073468\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073468\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-192-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-192-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-192-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-192-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alfred Melbourne, founder and director of Three Sisters Garden, at the garden in West Sacramento on Sept. 12, 2026. \u003ccite>(Louis Bryant III for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“How do we still live in a food desert?” Melbourne said. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A West Sacramento native, this is a question Melbourne has grappled with his entire life. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In an attempt to mitigate this, he gives away most of the produce grown on the land, with a goal to distribute 50, 000 pounds of free food this year, and having distributed 42,000 pounds of free food the year before. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He draws on his Indigenous roots to shape the gardens. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The hawk, they always seem to fly right above us,” Melbourne said, gesturing toward the sky. He takes it as a good sign.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He is a member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes and named the farms after the native “Three Sisters” method of planting corn, beans and squash together — each crop supporting the others.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That approach, he said, reflects a broader way of thinking about community — the heart of the farms he runs.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>From incarceration to intervention\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Melbourne grew up one street away from the 5th and C Street garden where he stood.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“For the youth growing up here, there wasn’t a lot of opportunity,” he said. “There was a gang \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://yoloda.org/appellate-court-upholds-gang-injunction/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">injunction \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">in place for almost 10 years, over-criminalizing our youth.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073467\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073467\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-150-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-150-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-150-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-150-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dominitt Henderson waters newly planted lettuce at Three Sisters Garden in West Sacramento on Sept. 12, 2026. \u003ccite>(Louis Bryant III for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At 19, he was arrested for the first time and eventually spent 18 years in prison for assault with a firearm and assault with a deadly weapon.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“As a youngster, I kind of just fell in with the bad crowd and made some poor choices, and I ended up incarcerated,” said Melbourne. “Incarceration is not something that I would wish upon my worst enemy.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For much of that time, he said, he resisted the system and his circumstances. But eventually, something shifted.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I just sat there, and I closed my eyes, and I listened,” he said. “I saw what it was they were doing as a system to try to break us down, to kidnap us off the streets and profit off of us.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Melbourne spent time getting educated in prison and learned that it costs California nearly \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.lao.ca.gov/policyareas/cj/6_cj_inmatecost\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">$128,000 annually\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to incarcerate a person. That realization stayed with him. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I couldn’t allow that to happen,” he said. “Not to me any longer, or to anybody I knew or anybody in my community.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Melbourne was released, he returned to West Sacramento with a different sense of purpose — thinking about how to intervene with young people, before they ended up where he had.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We know that if you feed a kid better, they’ll perform better,” he said. “Test scores go up, behavior problems go down.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since 2018, he has built the nonprofit Three Sisters Gardens, spanning four farms across West Sacramento. But, not without some challenges.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The model remains susceptible to fluctuations in federal funding priorities.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073463\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073463\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-74-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-74-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-74-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-74-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kenny McDowell plants microgreen onions at Three Sisters Garden in West Sacramento on Feb. 12, 2026. \u003ccite>(Louis Bryant III for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Melbourne had set his sights on a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://iratracker.org/actions/epa-pushes-climate-groups-to-close-community-change-grant-program-grants/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">$21 million grant\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from the US Environmental Protection Agency, a program that was discontinued by the Trump administration. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Currently, the organization depends on a mix of local and state funding, with land leased from the city at a subsidized rate of $1 per month.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It took a lot of learning to know that I can transform what used to be an illegal business into a legal business,” said Melbourne. “And use our hustle mentality to support our youth and ourselves into a future that’s brighter for everyone.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Melbourne sees access to food as one entry point. But the work extends beyond nutrition — into job training, workforce development and life skills.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I want to use the lived experience that I have for all the pain and suffering that I went through to be able to change these youngsters, to divert them,” he said about being a mentor, educator and a resource for the young people in West Sacramento.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cultivating community\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nancy Long, 18, found the Three Sisters Gardens nearly two years ago, at a time when she felt unmoored. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, between packing produce for distribution and tending the soil, she said she has found a sense of purpose — in both the work itself and in giving food away.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073461\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-36-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-36-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-36-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-36-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Three Sisters Garden in West Sacramento on Feb. 12, 2026. \u003ccite>(Louis Bryant III for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I grew up very poor, and I feel like this is actually helping a lot of people because not a lot of people get food,” she said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Long, who is Cambodian American, now brings produce home for her family, who use it in soups. Before joining the garden, she said she struggled in school and often kept to herself.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I was really in a bad place in my life,” she said. “When I got this job, I changed a lot, and it also helped me with my mental health issues.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Working at the garden, she said, has changed how she sees herself and how she interacts with others.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I feel like this garden has made me a better person,” she said. “I really am glad, and I appreciate that I have Alfred in this.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many of the young people who come through the gardens are looking for stability — a steady job, guidance, a place where they feel seen.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Melbourne’s role often extends beyond supervision. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He checks in on the young people working with him and, at times, helps them navigate challenges outside of work.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073465\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073465\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-113-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-113-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-113-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-113-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kenny McDowell plants onion microgreens at Three Sisters Garden in West Sacramento on Feb. 12, 2026. \u003ccite>(Louis Bryant III for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For 21-year-old Dominitt Henderson, that meant straightforward advice.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“He will tell you the truth straight up to your face,” Henderson said. “He won’t hide nothing from you — that’s what I like.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Other youth described more tangible forms of support.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“He helps me a lot,” Amari Sullivan said. “He gives me jackets — whatever I need.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kenny McDowell said that support has made a difference during difficult moments.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“There’ll be times where I miss a couple of car payments,” McDowell said. “He’ll help me out. Little things like that, it counts.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Over time, the work begins to take root in other ways. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">McDowell said being part of the garden gave him a sense of direction and something to build toward.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073462\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073462\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-57-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-57-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-57-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/02122026_LBR3_3SISGDN-57-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Interns Damia Zhang and Leilania Tian inspect seed containers at Three Sisters Garden in West Sacramento on Feb. 12, 2026. \u003ccite>(Louis Bryant III for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“This was a purpose,” he said. “I want to see a brighter future.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Melbourne described the work as reciprocal — something built alongside the young people, not just for them.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It’s them coming to me and us just feeding off of each other,” he said. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“What I really, truthfully, in the end want to build is community.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "california-teachers-tread-lightly-for-americas-250th-as-they-navigate-competing-narratives",
"title": "California Teachers ‘Tread Lightly’ for America’s 250th as They Navigate Competing Narratives",
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"headTitle": "California Teachers ‘Tread Lightly’ for America’s 250th as They Navigate Competing Narratives | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003c!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ -->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/politics\">national political climate\u003c/a> may be polarized and combative, but California is taking steps to ensure K-12 students learn to have respectful debates, get involved in their communities and understand their rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The State Board of Education is poised on March 11 to add civics to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.caschooldashboard.org\">California School Dashboard\u003c/a>, the primary accountability tool for the state’s public K-12 schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The aim is to encourage more students to excel in their government classes, show a strong understanding of the Constitution and the foundations of democracy, and get involved in civics-related extracurricular or community activities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12047499\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12047499\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/DepartofEducation.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/DepartofEducation.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/DepartofEducation-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/DepartofEducation-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The U.S. Department of Education on April 29, 2025 in Washington, D.C. \u003ccite>(Pete Kiehart for The Washington Post via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In addition, the state is \u003ca href=\"https://www.celebrate.ca.gov\">promoting a wide range of civics\u003c/a> activities commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 175th anniversary of California becoming a state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has convened a group of experts to come up with lessons, events, field trips and other activities for students and communities. The idea is to inspire students to get involved, become regular voters or even run for public office.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Something that has to be taught’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The moves couldn’t come at a better time, advocates said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The issue is urgent. There’s a lot of concern right now about the state of democracy and the role of schools,” said Michael Matsuda, former superintendent of Anaheim Union High School District. He’s long been a champion of civics education. “Who’s responsible for making sure the next generation upholds democracy? It’s not in the air — it’s something that has to be taught, and schools have to teach it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11982448\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11982448\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240409-SJEncampmentBan-020-BL_qut.jpg\" alt=\"A yellow school bus on the road near an RV.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240409-SJEncampmentBan-020-BL_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240409-SJEncampmentBan-020-BL_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240409-SJEncampmentBan-020-BL_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240409-SJEncampmentBan-020-BL_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240409-SJEncampmentBan-020-BL_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A school bus passes an RV on Educational Park Drive near Independence High School in San José on April 9, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For decades, civics education has been sidelined in California schools, largely due to the intense focus on reading and math brought forth by the No Child Left Behind initiative in the early 2000s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though it’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/hs/cf/documents/hssframeworkwhole.pdf\">woven throughout\u003c/a> the state’s History-Social Science Framework, civics is not included on standardized tests and only required for one semester senior year. Some schools and individual teachers have strong, vibrant programs, but many don’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To boost civics education, Gov. Jerry Brown \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB24\">signed a bill\u003c/a> in 2017 creating the Seal of Civic Engagement, similar to the state’s Seal of Biliteracy, recognizing students who excel in the subject. Students who earn the seal receive a gold seal on their diploma or transcript.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"mceTemp\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11795070\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11795070\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/THE-EYE-e1772668642917.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jerry Brown as governor of California in the 1970’s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The program got off to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2024/12/civics-education/\">a slow start\u003c/a>, as researchers found that lower-income students and those in politically “purple” areas typically had fewer options for a robust civics education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In politically mixed communities, teachers were reluctant to discuss current events or bring up controversial topics for fear of parent pushback. And low-income schools were less likely to have student governments, student newspapers, field trips to the Capitol or other activities that enhance civic learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the first year of the program, just 1% of high school graduates earned a seal and only 103 high schools — out of 1,200 — offered it. But the numbers have been climbing. Last year, more than 23,000 students earned a seal, representing just under half of all high schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Boosting accountability\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Under the proposed dashboard changes, civics will be part of schools’ accountability measurement for the first time. Schools will receive credit under the “college and career” metric depending on the success of their Seal of Civic Engagement program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it won’t be obvious to the public: civics will be part of a larger stew of metrics that include the number of students who complete a career pathway or finish the courses required for admission to California’s public universities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12058103\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12058103\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250929_UCBERKELEY_GC-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250929_UCBERKELEY_GC-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250929_UCBERKELEY_GC-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250929_UCBERKELEY_GC-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sather Tower at UC Berkeley in Berkeley on Sept. 29, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Still, it’s a step forward for a subject that some say rarely gets the attention it deserves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Civic engagement is an important skill for any adult in a democracy,” said Elizabeth Sanders, spokesperson for the state Department of Education. “(By boosting the Seal of Civic Engagement) we can engage in an important conversation about what it means to prepare our young adults for full, empowered participation in our communities and society.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Competing curricula\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, at the federal level, policy shifts have led to some confusion as to what constitutes civics, what patriotism is, and what the foundational principles of the country are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Civics education has traditionally been nonpartisan, but the Trump administration has steered funding and curriculum-creation to right-leaning advocacy groups while \u003ca href=\"https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-cuts-over-600-million-divisive-teacher-training-grants\">eliminating funding\u003c/a> for long-established organizations it deemed “divisive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12048527\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12048527\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GettyImages-2206133236-scaled-e1773253186922.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1382\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">President Donald Trump holding up a signed executive order poses with U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon at the White House on March 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump on March 20 signed an executive order to formally begin the process of dismantling the Education Department, saying that his administration is returning education back to the states. \u003ccite>(Chen Mengtong via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Along the same lines, the U.S. Department of Education in September convened a coalition of about 50 conservative groups to come up with patriotic ways for schools to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group is led by the America First Policy Institute, which pushes schools to \u003ca href=\"https://agenda.americafirstpolicy.com/education/advocate-for-teaching-the-truth-about-americas-history\">minimize the role of slavery and racism\u003c/a> when teaching U.S. history. Other groups in the coalition promote religion in public schools and want restrictions on the rights of transgender students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The effort draws largely from the \u003ca href=\"https://freedom250.org\">Freedom 250\u003c/a>, one of two federally created organizations to commemorate the country’s semiquincentennial. Freedom 250, backed by the White House, offers a conservative take on American history, with a focus on God and the values set forth in the Declaration of Independence.[aside postID=news_12075913 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/GETTYIMAGES-2179630055-KQED.jpg']The other federal organization, \u003ca href=\"https://america250.org\">America250\u003c/a>, is a nonpartisan group created by Congress. Less political than Freedom 250, America 250 encourages students and others to visit American landmarks, volunteer in their communities and contribute videos documenting their own “American story.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is weighing in with its own website and lesson ideas. Newsom invited a group of experts to create a California version, wrapping in the state’s 175th anniversary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.celebrate.ca.gov\">175 Years of California Dreaming\u003c/a> website includes a summary of the state’s history, videos focusing on different regions of the state, ways to volunteer, and text about what California has meant to the country and world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually it will include lessons and activities for classrooms and community resources, Marissa Saldivar, assistant deputy director for communications in the governor’s office, said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The multiple America at 250 curricula only make life harder for civics teachers, who are already “treading lightly” in the current era of hyper-polarization, said Michelle Herczog, former history and social science coordinator for the Los Angeles County Office of Education and former president of the National Council for Social Studies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12032461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12032461\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1173\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-8.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-8-800x521.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-8-1020x665.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-8-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-8-1536x1001.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The federal student loan portfolio — which manages about $1.6 trillion in loans for roughly 43 million borrowers — is currently overseen by the Education Department’s office of Federal Student Aid. \u003ccite>(Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“How do you talk about the elephant in the room without mentioning the elephant?” said Herczog, referring to the Trump administration. “It requires a very special skill set for teachers to stay out of the political fray.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ideally, she said, students can learn about the promise of the Constitution and then ask themselves if the founders’ goals have actually been realized, and where should the country go from here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Do we really have liberty and justice for all? Do all Americans really have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?” she said. “How can we keep the fight going? I want them to commit to that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Giving students a voice\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Civics teachers interviewed by CalMatters said they were sidestepping the America 250 hoopla and focusing instead on the ideas they’ve always taught: why the Constitution matters, how to think critically about policies and ideas, why it’s important to vote and how to get involved in their communities. There simply isn’t enough time in a one-semester class to delve deeply into new curriculum, some said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Cypress High School in Anaheim, government teacher Teresa Shimogawa has her students examine a problem in their community and explore solutions. Students also participate in \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DVM21s2j4ND/\">Social Justice Day\u003c/a>, a science-fair type of event where they give speeches, do art projects and create exhibits inspired by policies they’re interested in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12019077\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12019077\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/120324_CivicsClass_FM_CM_1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/120324_CivicsClass_FM_CM_1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/120324_CivicsClass_FM_CM_1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/120324_CivicsClass_FM_CM_1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/120324_CivicsClass_FM_CM_1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/120324_CivicsClass_FM_CM_1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/120324_CivicsClass_FM_CM_1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Posters on the wall in the classroom of government and economics teacher, Judy Smith, at San Lorenzo High School in San Lorenzo on Dec. 3, 2024. All California high school students are required to take civics, but how it is taught varies widely throughout the state. \u003ccite>(Florence Middleton for CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I don’t focus too much on what Congress did this week, or what the president said. It’s too depressing, and kids feel hopeless,” Shimogawa said. “Instead, I try to make them feel like they have a voice, and give them the tools to advocate for good.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amber Bradley, who teaches government at River City High School in West Sacramento, said that regardless of the dueling America-at-250 curricula, it’s a stressful time to be a civics teacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Being a civics teacher right now is complicated,” Bradley said. “We teach kids about their rights, but then they see the federal government ignore those rights. It’s discouraging for everyone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like Shimogawa, Bradley gives her students plenty of hands-on projects that allow them to feel empowered. And she tries to keep her classroom nonpartisan, so students feel comfortable expressing their opinions and ideas — no matter what they are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s an overwhelming time for them and me,” Bradley said. “But I know my kids will make a difference. They’re going to change things for the better.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Free speech and open inquiry\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At Futures High School in Rio Linda, a charter high school north of Sacramento, students said they want civics class to be a place where they can ask questions about current events and express their opinions freely, without feeling attacked or embarrassed. They also want to learn what their rights are, how the legal system works and how they can protect them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than half the students at Futures are immigrants, with most coming from Russia and Ukraine. Nikita Artemov, a senior who immigrated from Russia, said that he highly values free speech and wants to hear other students’ viewpoints, not just in civics but in all classes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10901015\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10901015\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/HandballWall.jpg\" alt='A handball court is decorated with school pride at Oak Ridge Elementary, one of seven \"priority schools\" in the Sacramento Unified School District.' width=\"1920\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/HandballWall.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/HandballWall-400x236.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/HandballWall-800x473.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/HandballWall-1180x697.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/HandballWall-960x567.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A handball court is decorated with school pride at Oak Ridge Elementary, one of seven “priority schools” in the Sacramento Unified School District. \u003ccite>(Gabriel Salcedo/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I want teachers to encourage discussion between students, promote an open environment,” said Artemov, who along with his classmates attended a civics education conference in Sacramento recently. “I want to hear students from different countries with different perspectives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His classmate Zinat Nabizada, an immigrant from Afghanistan, agreed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just hearing someone else’s opinion is a really big thing,” she said. “If people want to ask a question or say what they think, they should be able to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A personal quest\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Matsuda, the former Anaheim superintendent, now devotes himself full time to promoting civics education. For him, it’s a personal passion: his parents, U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry, were interned during World War II.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He sees similar threats to civil liberties happening now in the U.S., making civics education all the more important at this point in history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053670\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053670\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0008_GH-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0008_GH-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0008_GH-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0008_GH-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Event attendees march toward Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park carrying an upside-down American flag and protest signs on Aug. 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Students need to learn about real-world problems, who is responsible, and how to use democratic systems to address those problems, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Constitution is being challenged almost every day. It’s easy to talk about democracy, but what does it mean on the ground?” Matsuda said. “We need to teach civics in a way that is non-partisan and not imposing adult opinions. If that doesn’t happen, our country will become more divisive than ever. This is absolutely vital for the next 250 years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2026/03/high-school-civics-california/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "California Teachers ‘Tread Lightly’ for America’s 250th as They Navigate Competing Narratives | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ -->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/politics\">national political climate\u003c/a> may be polarized and combative, but California is taking steps to ensure K-12 students learn to have respectful debates, get involved in their communities and understand their rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The State Board of Education is poised on March 11 to add civics to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.caschooldashboard.org\">California School Dashboard\u003c/a>, the primary accountability tool for the state’s public K-12 schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The aim is to encourage more students to excel in their government classes, show a strong understanding of the Constitution and the foundations of democracy, and get involved in civics-related extracurricular or community activities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12047499\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12047499\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/DepartofEducation.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/DepartofEducation.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/DepartofEducation-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/DepartofEducation-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The U.S. Department of Education on April 29, 2025 in Washington, D.C. \u003ccite>(Pete Kiehart for The Washington Post via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In addition, the state is \u003ca href=\"https://www.celebrate.ca.gov\">promoting a wide range of civics\u003c/a> activities commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 175th anniversary of California becoming a state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has convened a group of experts to come up with lessons, events, field trips and other activities for students and communities. The idea is to inspire students to get involved, become regular voters or even run for public office.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Something that has to be taught’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The moves couldn’t come at a better time, advocates said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The issue is urgent. There’s a lot of concern right now about the state of democracy and the role of schools,” said Michael Matsuda, former superintendent of Anaheim Union High School District. He’s long been a champion of civics education. “Who’s responsible for making sure the next generation upholds democracy? It’s not in the air — it’s something that has to be taught, and schools have to teach it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11982448\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11982448\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240409-SJEncampmentBan-020-BL_qut.jpg\" alt=\"A yellow school bus on the road near an RV.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240409-SJEncampmentBan-020-BL_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240409-SJEncampmentBan-020-BL_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240409-SJEncampmentBan-020-BL_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240409-SJEncampmentBan-020-BL_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240409-SJEncampmentBan-020-BL_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A school bus passes an RV on Educational Park Drive near Independence High School in San José on April 9, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For decades, civics education has been sidelined in California schools, largely due to the intense focus on reading and math brought forth by the No Child Left Behind initiative in the early 2000s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though it’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/hs/cf/documents/hssframeworkwhole.pdf\">woven throughout\u003c/a> the state’s History-Social Science Framework, civics is not included on standardized tests and only required for one semester senior year. Some schools and individual teachers have strong, vibrant programs, but many don’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To boost civics education, Gov. Jerry Brown \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB24\">signed a bill\u003c/a> in 2017 creating the Seal of Civic Engagement, similar to the state’s Seal of Biliteracy, recognizing students who excel in the subject. Students who earn the seal receive a gold seal on their diploma or transcript.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"mceTemp\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11795070\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11795070\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/THE-EYE-e1772668642917.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jerry Brown as governor of California in the 1970’s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The program got off to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2024/12/civics-education/\">a slow start\u003c/a>, as researchers found that lower-income students and those in politically “purple” areas typically had fewer options for a robust civics education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In politically mixed communities, teachers were reluctant to discuss current events or bring up controversial topics for fear of parent pushback. And low-income schools were less likely to have student governments, student newspapers, field trips to the Capitol or other activities that enhance civic learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the first year of the program, just 1% of high school graduates earned a seal and only 103 high schools — out of 1,200 — offered it. But the numbers have been climbing. Last year, more than 23,000 students earned a seal, representing just under half of all high schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Boosting accountability\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Under the proposed dashboard changes, civics will be part of schools’ accountability measurement for the first time. Schools will receive credit under the “college and career” metric depending on the success of their Seal of Civic Engagement program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it won’t be obvious to the public: civics will be part of a larger stew of metrics that include the number of students who complete a career pathway or finish the courses required for admission to California’s public universities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12058103\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12058103\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250929_UCBERKELEY_GC-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250929_UCBERKELEY_GC-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250929_UCBERKELEY_GC-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250929_UCBERKELEY_GC-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sather Tower at UC Berkeley in Berkeley on Sept. 29, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Still, it’s a step forward for a subject that some say rarely gets the attention it deserves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Civic engagement is an important skill for any adult in a democracy,” said Elizabeth Sanders, spokesperson for the state Department of Education. “(By boosting the Seal of Civic Engagement) we can engage in an important conversation about what it means to prepare our young adults for full, empowered participation in our communities and society.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Competing curricula\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, at the federal level, policy shifts have led to some confusion as to what constitutes civics, what patriotism is, and what the foundational principles of the country are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Civics education has traditionally been nonpartisan, but the Trump administration has steered funding and curriculum-creation to right-leaning advocacy groups while \u003ca href=\"https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-cuts-over-600-million-divisive-teacher-training-grants\">eliminating funding\u003c/a> for long-established organizations it deemed “divisive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12048527\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12048527\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GettyImages-2206133236-scaled-e1773253186922.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1382\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">President Donald Trump holding up a signed executive order poses with U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon at the White House on March 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump on March 20 signed an executive order to formally begin the process of dismantling the Education Department, saying that his administration is returning education back to the states. \u003ccite>(Chen Mengtong via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Along the same lines, the U.S. Department of Education in September convened a coalition of about 50 conservative groups to come up with patriotic ways for schools to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group is led by the America First Policy Institute, which pushes schools to \u003ca href=\"https://agenda.americafirstpolicy.com/education/advocate-for-teaching-the-truth-about-americas-history\">minimize the role of slavery and racism\u003c/a> when teaching U.S. history. Other groups in the coalition promote religion in public schools and want restrictions on the rights of transgender students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The effort draws largely from the \u003ca href=\"https://freedom250.org\">Freedom 250\u003c/a>, one of two federally created organizations to commemorate the country’s semiquincentennial. Freedom 250, backed by the White House, offers a conservative take on American history, with a focus on God and the values set forth in the Declaration of Independence.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The other federal organization, \u003ca href=\"https://america250.org\">America250\u003c/a>, is a nonpartisan group created by Congress. Less political than Freedom 250, America 250 encourages students and others to visit American landmarks, volunteer in their communities and contribute videos documenting their own “American story.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is weighing in with its own website and lesson ideas. Newsom invited a group of experts to create a California version, wrapping in the state’s 175th anniversary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.celebrate.ca.gov\">175 Years of California Dreaming\u003c/a> website includes a summary of the state’s history, videos focusing on different regions of the state, ways to volunteer, and text about what California has meant to the country and world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually it will include lessons and activities for classrooms and community resources, Marissa Saldivar, assistant deputy director for communications in the governor’s office, said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The multiple America at 250 curricula only make life harder for civics teachers, who are already “treading lightly” in the current era of hyper-polarization, said Michelle Herczog, former history and social science coordinator for the Los Angeles County Office of Education and former president of the National Council for Social Studies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12032461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12032461\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1173\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-8.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-8-800x521.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-8-1020x665.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-8-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-8-1536x1001.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The federal student loan portfolio — which manages about $1.6 trillion in loans for roughly 43 million borrowers — is currently overseen by the Education Department’s office of Federal Student Aid. \u003ccite>(Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“How do you talk about the elephant in the room without mentioning the elephant?” said Herczog, referring to the Trump administration. “It requires a very special skill set for teachers to stay out of the political fray.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ideally, she said, students can learn about the promise of the Constitution and then ask themselves if the founders’ goals have actually been realized, and where should the country go from here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Do we really have liberty and justice for all? Do all Americans really have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?” she said. “How can we keep the fight going? I want them to commit to that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Giving students a voice\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Civics teachers interviewed by CalMatters said they were sidestepping the America 250 hoopla and focusing instead on the ideas they’ve always taught: why the Constitution matters, how to think critically about policies and ideas, why it’s important to vote and how to get involved in their communities. There simply isn’t enough time in a one-semester class to delve deeply into new curriculum, some said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Cypress High School in Anaheim, government teacher Teresa Shimogawa has her students examine a problem in their community and explore solutions. Students also participate in \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DVM21s2j4ND/\">Social Justice Day\u003c/a>, a science-fair type of event where they give speeches, do art projects and create exhibits inspired by policies they’re interested in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12019077\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12019077\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/120324_CivicsClass_FM_CM_1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/120324_CivicsClass_FM_CM_1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/120324_CivicsClass_FM_CM_1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/120324_CivicsClass_FM_CM_1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/120324_CivicsClass_FM_CM_1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/120324_CivicsClass_FM_CM_1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/120324_CivicsClass_FM_CM_1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Posters on the wall in the classroom of government and economics teacher, Judy Smith, at San Lorenzo High School in San Lorenzo on Dec. 3, 2024. All California high school students are required to take civics, but how it is taught varies widely throughout the state. \u003ccite>(Florence Middleton for CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I don’t focus too much on what Congress did this week, or what the president said. It’s too depressing, and kids feel hopeless,” Shimogawa said. “Instead, I try to make them feel like they have a voice, and give them the tools to advocate for good.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amber Bradley, who teaches government at River City High School in West Sacramento, said that regardless of the dueling America-at-250 curricula, it’s a stressful time to be a civics teacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Being a civics teacher right now is complicated,” Bradley said. “We teach kids about their rights, but then they see the federal government ignore those rights. It’s discouraging for everyone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like Shimogawa, Bradley gives her students plenty of hands-on projects that allow them to feel empowered. And she tries to keep her classroom nonpartisan, so students feel comfortable expressing their opinions and ideas — no matter what they are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s an overwhelming time for them and me,” Bradley said. “But I know my kids will make a difference. They’re going to change things for the better.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Free speech and open inquiry\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At Futures High School in Rio Linda, a charter high school north of Sacramento, students said they want civics class to be a place where they can ask questions about current events and express their opinions freely, without feeling attacked or embarrassed. They also want to learn what their rights are, how the legal system works and how they can protect them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than half the students at Futures are immigrants, with most coming from Russia and Ukraine. Nikita Artemov, a senior who immigrated from Russia, said that he highly values free speech and wants to hear other students’ viewpoints, not just in civics but in all classes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10901015\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10901015\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/HandballWall.jpg\" alt='A handball court is decorated with school pride at Oak Ridge Elementary, one of seven \"priority schools\" in the Sacramento Unified School District.' width=\"1920\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/HandballWall.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/HandballWall-400x236.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/HandballWall-800x473.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/HandballWall-1180x697.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/HandballWall-960x567.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A handball court is decorated with school pride at Oak Ridge Elementary, one of seven “priority schools” in the Sacramento Unified School District. \u003ccite>(Gabriel Salcedo/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I want teachers to encourage discussion between students, promote an open environment,” said Artemov, who along with his classmates attended a civics education conference in Sacramento recently. “I want to hear students from different countries with different perspectives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His classmate Zinat Nabizada, an immigrant from Afghanistan, agreed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just hearing someone else’s opinion is a really big thing,” she said. “If people want to ask a question or say what they think, they should be able to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A personal quest\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Matsuda, the former Anaheim superintendent, now devotes himself full time to promoting civics education. For him, it’s a personal passion: his parents, U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry, were interned during World War II.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He sees similar threats to civil liberties happening now in the U.S., making civics education all the more important at this point in history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053670\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053670\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0008_GH-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0008_GH-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0008_GH-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825_ROSIE-THE-RIVETER-PROTEST-_-0008_GH-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Event attendees march toward Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park carrying an upside-down American flag and protest signs on Aug. 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Students need to learn about real-world problems, who is responsible, and how to use democratic systems to address those problems, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Constitution is being challenged almost every day. It’s easy to talk about democracy, but what does it mean on the ground?” Matsuda said. “We need to teach civics in a way that is non-partisan and not imposing adult opinions. If that doesn’t happen, our country will become more divisive than ever. This is absolutely vital for the next 250 years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2026/03/high-school-civics-california/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Traffic to Tahoe Looking Rough? Here's Where to Stop in Sacramento",
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"headTitle": "Traffic to Tahoe Looking Rough? Here’s Where to Stop in Sacramento | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Whether it’s winter or summer, the drive to the mountains can be the \u003cem>worst \u003c/em>part of a trip up to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/tahoe\">Tahoe\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s the excruciating Bay Area traffic turning what should be an easy 3- to 4-hour drive into a full day affair, and that’s not even to mention the often-\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11937204/lake-tahoe-weather-forecast-road-conditions-snow-chains\">sketchy conditions\u003c/a> that can make even the most experienced snow drivers nervous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And sometimes, stopping altogether to wait out the traffic can just be the smartest option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Luckily, whether you’re sick of crawling east at 5 miles per hour, stuck waiting for a highway to open or simply want to break up your drive a bit, the Sacramento area is brimming with delicious eats, fun finds and hidden gems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11937341\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11937341 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/RS61932_GettyImages-1244611410-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/RS61932_GettyImages-1244611410-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/RS61932_GettyImages-1244611410-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/RS61932_GettyImages-1244611410-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/RS61932_GettyImages-1244611410-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/RS61932_GettyImages-1244611410-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunrise view as snow blanketed South Lake Tahoe in California, on Nov. 8, 2022. \u003ccite>(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We crowdsourced the best recommendations from KQED staff so that on your next trip to the mountains, you can take your time and enjoy the journey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for ideas for meals, shopping and entertainment along the way to Tahoe if traffic is messing with your travel plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Grab a bite (or a lick) at local eateries\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If the Tahoe-bound traffic is hitting early and you’re hankering for a Bay Area classic, you should know: The historic East Bay \u003ca href=\"https://www.fentonscreamery.com/\">Fenton’s Creamery \u003c/a>(founded in 1894) has a second location in Vacaville. Here, you’ll find dozens of flavors, including the brand new “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/fentons-alysa-liu-ice-cream/4043867/\">Alysa’s Gold\u003c/a>” in honor of Oakland native and Olympic gold medalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13987402/alysa-liu-party-homecoming-oakland\">Alysa Liu\u003c/a>. It’s also \u003ca href=\"https://www.fentonscreamery.com/vacaville-american-restaurant\">open until 10 p.m.\u003c/a> on Fridays and Saturdays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a slightly healthier pit stop, head to \u003ca href=\"https://pedrickproduce.com/\">Pedrick Produce\u003c/a> in Dixon off of Highway 80 for all your fruit and veggie needs, which is open until 7 p.m. Another great bet is the \u003ca href=\"https://davisfood.coop/\">Davis Food Coop\u003c/a> for the Sacramento Valley’s fresh-off-the-farm produce and bulk items (open until 10 p.m.).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775091\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11775091\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-e1773250067604.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Fenton’s Rocky Road sundae. Fenton’s Creamery has not done much to advertise its claim to Rocky Road, although it does mention it on the menu. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By the time you reach Sacramento on your Tahoe journey, the sky is practically the limit in terms of food options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take yourself on a taco tour of all the local favorite spots (find \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/Sacramento/comments/1hcbyfr/sac_taco_recommendations/\">some recommendations here\u003c/a> courtesy of local redditors) or wait out the traffic with a beverage at one of the many beer gardens in the city, from \u003ca href=\"https://sacyard.beer/\">Sacyard \u003c/a>to \u003ca href=\"https://fieldworkbrewing.com/sacramento/\">Fieldwork \u003c/a>to \u003ca href=\"https://www.leftystaproom.com/\">Lefty’s\u003c/a>. In the depths of winter, cozy up with a pint before heading up the mountain or take full advantage of a warm day and enjoy your drink from a patio, soaking up the sun to kick off your weekend away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And we would be remiss not to mention \u003ca href=\"https://www.ikedas.com/\">Ikeda’s \u003c/a>— there’s one in Davis and another north of Auburn, both just off I-80. Known for its delicious berry pies and produce, you can also get a scrumptious burger or sandwich at the Auburn location’s deli.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Browse deals at outlets, gift and indie shops\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Hard to miss on any Tahoe trip are the \u003ca href=\"https://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlet/vacaville\">Vacaville Outlets\u003c/a>, where you could easily spend a whole afternoon browsing big brands all in one place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990043\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990043\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/20240604_CaliforniaForeverFarms_GC-56_qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/20240604_CaliforniaForeverFarms_GC-56_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/20240604_CaliforniaForeverFarms_GC-56_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/20240604_CaliforniaForeverFarms_GC-56_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/20240604_CaliforniaForeverFarms_GC-56_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/20240604_CaliforniaForeverFarms_GC-56_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stone fruit trees grow at Brazelton Ranch in Vacaville on June 4. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.rei.com/stores/folsom\">Folsom REI,\u003c/a> off Highway 50 to South Lake Tahoe, is also a great stop for last-minute outdoorsy purchases (if you, like some of us, have realized you forgot your snow boots on the way up during a snowstorm).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re eager to shop in Sacramento proper, don’t miss \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/walpublicmarket/?hl=en\">the Public Market at the Warehouse Artist Lofts\u003c/a>, where you can check out a vintage shop, pop-up street food, a cafe, a poke shop, and a record store all under one roof. Plus, if you’re there on a \u003ca href=\"https://www.rstreetwal.com/events-at-wal\">First Friday night\u003c/a>, you can even check out the residents’ studios and purchase their original artwork.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Take the long way up, or stop to see the sights\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If traffic on the freeway is looking bad — or if you’ve just got the luxury of taking your time on your journey to Tahoe — consider taking an alternate route to get to Sacramento, foregoing Highway 80 for Highway 84 and instead winding through the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta and stopping at \u003ca href=\"https://www.dfmbythetower.com/\">farmers markets\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://maps.app.goo.gl/13vbkA2oiGWrRL4Q8\">small towns\u003c/a> along the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11969657\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11969657\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231212-SAN-JOAQUIN-RIVER-DELTAL-DWR-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"An aerial photo of a large river surrounded by flat, green farmland\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231212-SAN-JOAQUIN-RIVER-DELTAL-DWR-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231212-SAN-JOAQUIN-RIVER-DELTAL-DWR-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231212-SAN-JOAQUIN-RIVER-DELTAL-DWR-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231212-SAN-JOAQUIN-RIVER-DELTAL-DWR-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231212-SAN-JOAQUIN-RIVER-DELTAL-DWR-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231212-SAN-JOAQUIN-RIVER-DELTAL-DWR-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Joaquin River and Tinsley Island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in San Joaquin County on May 11, 2023. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of California Department of Water Resources)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://oldsugarmill.com/\">Old Sugar Mill \u003c/a>in Clarksburg, just 15 minutes from Sacramento along this route, \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2025/08/08/old-sugar-mill-in-foreclosure-but-resident-wineries-remain-optimistic/\">is facing possible foreclosure\u003c/a>, but remains open right now for your wine tasting, gifting and browsing desires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Detour to Dixon for \u003ca href=\"https://ruhstallerfarm.com/\">Ruhstaller Farm\u003c/a>, a ranch-style brewery with all the fixings, including resident ducks, cats and comfy couches where you can kick back.[aside postID=news_12075338 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/GettyImages-658406988.jpg']Or, head to \u003ca href=\"https://www.oldsacramento.com/\">Old Sacramento close to the city’s downtown,\u003c/a> where you can meander down cobblestone streets and embrace your inner child at its overflowing candy shops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ride a horse-drawn carriage or learn about the area — and the state’s — history at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.californiarailroad.museum/\">California State Railroad Museum\u003c/a>. You can even take a \u003ca href=\"https://www.californiarailroad.museum/visit/excursion-train-rides\">45-minute vintage train ride\u003c/a> along the Sacramento River to get truly immersed in the sights, sounds and history of 1800s California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re hoping for more of an outdoor excursion to break up your journey, check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=500\">Folsom Lake,\u003c/a> a California state park where dogs are allowed and hiking and boating abound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While there are quite a few lakeside hikes \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=500\">to choose from,\u003c/a> just be aware that you may be sharing the path with those on horseback.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a real detour, peel off Highway 80, take Highway 49, and aim for \u003ca href=\"https://gonevadacounty.com/nevada-city/\">Nevada City\u003c/a>. Its truly quaint Gold Rush-era downtown in the Sierra foothills has a historic flair, cute cafes, independent stores and a homey spirit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11964348\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11964348\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Copy-of-Guardian_Exceptional_Events_Rule_583-scaled-e1773250389105.jpg\" alt=\"An image of a downtown area of a city.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Downtown Nevada City on Oct. 5, 2023. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan/The Guardian)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Worth a special mention is \u003ca href=\"https://www.goldvibe.com/\">Gold Vibe\u003c/a>, a craft kombuchery just outside Grass Valley that offers tastings and to-go packs for your trip, if you’ve got to hit the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you’re heading up Highway 50 to South Lake Tahoe, you can always pop into \u003ca href=\"https://www.applehillca.com/#:~:text=Apple%20Hill%20is%20Situated%20in,and%20World%20Renowned%20Lake%20Tahoe.\">Apple Hill\u003c/a> in Placerville on your way for U-pick apples, flowers and other seasonal events.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Ezra Romero, Bianca Taylor, Erika Kelly and Cecilia Phillips contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Whether it’s winter or summer, the drive to the mountains can be the \u003cem>worst \u003c/em>part of a trip up to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/tahoe\">Tahoe\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s the excruciating Bay Area traffic turning what should be an easy 3- to 4-hour drive into a full day affair, and that’s not even to mention the often-\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11937204/lake-tahoe-weather-forecast-road-conditions-snow-chains\">sketchy conditions\u003c/a> that can make even the most experienced snow drivers nervous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And sometimes, stopping altogether to wait out the traffic can just be the smartest option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Luckily, whether you’re sick of crawling east at 5 miles per hour, stuck waiting for a highway to open or simply want to break up your drive a bit, the Sacramento area is brimming with delicious eats, fun finds and hidden gems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11937341\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11937341 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/RS61932_GettyImages-1244611410-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/RS61932_GettyImages-1244611410-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/RS61932_GettyImages-1244611410-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/RS61932_GettyImages-1244611410-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/RS61932_GettyImages-1244611410-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/RS61932_GettyImages-1244611410-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunrise view as snow blanketed South Lake Tahoe in California, on Nov. 8, 2022. \u003ccite>(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We crowdsourced the best recommendations from KQED staff so that on your next trip to the mountains, you can take your time and enjoy the journey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for ideas for meals, shopping and entertainment along the way to Tahoe if traffic is messing with your travel plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Grab a bite (or a lick) at local eateries\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If the Tahoe-bound traffic is hitting early and you’re hankering for a Bay Area classic, you should know: The historic East Bay \u003ca href=\"https://www.fentonscreamery.com/\">Fenton’s Creamery \u003c/a>(founded in 1894) has a second location in Vacaville. Here, you’ll find dozens of flavors, including the brand new “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/fentons-alysa-liu-ice-cream/4043867/\">Alysa’s Gold\u003c/a>” in honor of Oakland native and Olympic gold medalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13987402/alysa-liu-party-homecoming-oakland\">Alysa Liu\u003c/a>. It’s also \u003ca href=\"https://www.fentonscreamery.com/vacaville-american-restaurant\">open until 10 p.m.\u003c/a> on Fridays and Saturdays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a slightly healthier pit stop, head to \u003ca href=\"https://pedrickproduce.com/\">Pedrick Produce\u003c/a> in Dixon off of Highway 80 for all your fruit and veggie needs, which is open until 7 p.m. Another great bet is the \u003ca href=\"https://davisfood.coop/\">Davis Food Coop\u003c/a> for the Sacramento Valley’s fresh-off-the-farm produce and bulk items (open until 10 p.m.).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775091\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11775091\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-e1773250067604.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Fenton’s Rocky Road sundae. Fenton’s Creamery has not done much to advertise its claim to Rocky Road, although it does mention it on the menu. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By the time you reach Sacramento on your Tahoe journey, the sky is practically the limit in terms of food options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take yourself on a taco tour of all the local favorite spots (find \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/Sacramento/comments/1hcbyfr/sac_taco_recommendations/\">some recommendations here\u003c/a> courtesy of local redditors) or wait out the traffic with a beverage at one of the many beer gardens in the city, from \u003ca href=\"https://sacyard.beer/\">Sacyard \u003c/a>to \u003ca href=\"https://fieldworkbrewing.com/sacramento/\">Fieldwork \u003c/a>to \u003ca href=\"https://www.leftystaproom.com/\">Lefty’s\u003c/a>. In the depths of winter, cozy up with a pint before heading up the mountain or take full advantage of a warm day and enjoy your drink from a patio, soaking up the sun to kick off your weekend away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And we would be remiss not to mention \u003ca href=\"https://www.ikedas.com/\">Ikeda’s \u003c/a>— there’s one in Davis and another north of Auburn, both just off I-80. Known for its delicious berry pies and produce, you can also get a scrumptious burger or sandwich at the Auburn location’s deli.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Browse deals at outlets, gift and indie shops\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Hard to miss on any Tahoe trip are the \u003ca href=\"https://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlet/vacaville\">Vacaville Outlets\u003c/a>, where you could easily spend a whole afternoon browsing big brands all in one place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990043\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990043\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/20240604_CaliforniaForeverFarms_GC-56_qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/20240604_CaliforniaForeverFarms_GC-56_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/20240604_CaliforniaForeverFarms_GC-56_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/20240604_CaliforniaForeverFarms_GC-56_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/20240604_CaliforniaForeverFarms_GC-56_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/20240604_CaliforniaForeverFarms_GC-56_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stone fruit trees grow at Brazelton Ranch in Vacaville on June 4. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.rei.com/stores/folsom\">Folsom REI,\u003c/a> off Highway 50 to South Lake Tahoe, is also a great stop for last-minute outdoorsy purchases (if you, like some of us, have realized you forgot your snow boots on the way up during a snowstorm).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re eager to shop in Sacramento proper, don’t miss \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/walpublicmarket/?hl=en\">the Public Market at the Warehouse Artist Lofts\u003c/a>, where you can check out a vintage shop, pop-up street food, a cafe, a poke shop, and a record store all under one roof. Plus, if you’re there on a \u003ca href=\"https://www.rstreetwal.com/events-at-wal\">First Friday night\u003c/a>, you can even check out the residents’ studios and purchase their original artwork.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Take the long way up, or stop to see the sights\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If traffic on the freeway is looking bad — or if you’ve just got the luxury of taking your time on your journey to Tahoe — consider taking an alternate route to get to Sacramento, foregoing Highway 80 for Highway 84 and instead winding through the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta and stopping at \u003ca href=\"https://www.dfmbythetower.com/\">farmers markets\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://maps.app.goo.gl/13vbkA2oiGWrRL4Q8\">small towns\u003c/a> along the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11969657\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11969657\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231212-SAN-JOAQUIN-RIVER-DELTAL-DWR-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"An aerial photo of a large river surrounded by flat, green farmland\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231212-SAN-JOAQUIN-RIVER-DELTAL-DWR-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231212-SAN-JOAQUIN-RIVER-DELTAL-DWR-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231212-SAN-JOAQUIN-RIVER-DELTAL-DWR-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231212-SAN-JOAQUIN-RIVER-DELTAL-DWR-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231212-SAN-JOAQUIN-RIVER-DELTAL-DWR-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231212-SAN-JOAQUIN-RIVER-DELTAL-DWR-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Joaquin River and Tinsley Island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in San Joaquin County on May 11, 2023. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of California Department of Water Resources)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://oldsugarmill.com/\">Old Sugar Mill \u003c/a>in Clarksburg, just 15 minutes from Sacramento along this route, \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2025/08/08/old-sugar-mill-in-foreclosure-but-resident-wineries-remain-optimistic/\">is facing possible foreclosure\u003c/a>, but remains open right now for your wine tasting, gifting and browsing desires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Detour to Dixon for \u003ca href=\"https://ruhstallerfarm.com/\">Ruhstaller Farm\u003c/a>, a ranch-style brewery with all the fixings, including resident ducks, cats and comfy couches where you can kick back.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Or, head to \u003ca href=\"https://www.oldsacramento.com/\">Old Sacramento close to the city’s downtown,\u003c/a> where you can meander down cobblestone streets and embrace your inner child at its overflowing candy shops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ride a horse-drawn carriage or learn about the area — and the state’s — history at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.californiarailroad.museum/\">California State Railroad Museum\u003c/a>. You can even take a \u003ca href=\"https://www.californiarailroad.museum/visit/excursion-train-rides\">45-minute vintage train ride\u003c/a> along the Sacramento River to get truly immersed in the sights, sounds and history of 1800s California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re hoping for more of an outdoor excursion to break up your journey, check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=500\">Folsom Lake,\u003c/a> a California state park where dogs are allowed and hiking and boating abound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While there are quite a few lakeside hikes \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=500\">to choose from,\u003c/a> just be aware that you may be sharing the path with those on horseback.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a real detour, peel off Highway 80, take Highway 49, and aim for \u003ca href=\"https://gonevadacounty.com/nevada-city/\">Nevada City\u003c/a>. Its truly quaint Gold Rush-era downtown in the Sierra foothills has a historic flair, cute cafes, independent stores and a homey spirit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11964348\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11964348\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Copy-of-Guardian_Exceptional_Events_Rule_583-scaled-e1773250389105.jpg\" alt=\"An image of a downtown area of a city.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Downtown Nevada City on Oct. 5, 2023. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan/The Guardian)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Worth a special mention is \u003ca href=\"https://www.goldvibe.com/\">Gold Vibe\u003c/a>, a craft kombuchery just outside Grass Valley that offers tastings and to-go packs for your trip, if you’ve got to hit the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you’re heading up Highway 50 to South Lake Tahoe, you can always pop into \u003ca href=\"https://www.applehillca.com/#:~:text=Apple%20Hill%20is%20Situated%20in,and%20World%20Renowned%20Lake%20Tahoe.\">Apple Hill\u003c/a> in Placerville on your way for U-pick apples, flowers and other seasonal events.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Ezra Romero, Bianca Taylor, Erika Kelly and Cecilia Phillips contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "At $26 Million, Groups Spend More on Prop. 50 Than Any Measure in State History",
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"headTitle": "At $26 Million, Groups Spend More on Prop. 50 Than Any Measure in State History | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003c!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ -->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Voters in Sacramento got\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/proposition-50\"> a mailer in recent weeks\u003c/a> declaring that “California’s landmark election reform — under attack by Sacramento politicians.” Orinda residents have received flyers that shout “Fight back against Trump — Vote Yes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The narrator on a video\u003ca href=\"https://x.com/carldemaio/status/1980300522348535895\"> ad shared on X\u003c/a> intones, “Two wrongs don’t make a right — Vote No.” These are among a barrage of advertisements, yard signs and billboards bombarding Californians with direction to support or oppose redrawing the state’s congressional districts four years ahead of schedule.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But none of it was paid for by the major campaigns advocating for and against Proposition 50, the ballot measure put forth by Gov. Gavin Newsom to counter Republican redistricting efforts in Texas. Instead, nonprofits, political parties and a billionaire have financed an independent effort as election day approaches Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Groups not directly affiliated with any Prop. 50 campaign have reported spending nearly $26 million to influence voters as of October 30, more than any ballot measure in California history, according to a CalMatters analysis of secretary of state campaign finance data. The spending does not include the $118 million reportedly spent by the three major campaign committees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv id=\"datawrapper-vis-D5MHi\" style=\"min-height: 579px\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/D5MHi/full.png\" alt=\"Proposition 50 has been the subject of more independent expenditures than any previous ballot measure (Table)\" width=\"1220\" height=\"1140\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anybody can buy ads, pay canvassers, or otherwise promote their position on a California ballot measure as long as they register a state committee, disclose major funders in the ads themselves and don’t coordinate with the primary campaigns. Once they’ve spent at least $1,000, they must report their spending to the secretary of state as independent expenditures.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>Independent spending for the redistricting measure is significantly more than the previous record-setting Prop. 32 in 2012, which drew $10.8 million in similar spending and would have restricted campaign contributions from labor unions if it passed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The largest spenders outside of the major campaigns this time are billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer, who reported more than $12.8 million in expenditures and the California Republican Party, which poured more than $10.2 million into ads and messaging opposing the measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12061220\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12061220\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NoProp50AP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NoProp50AP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NoProp50AP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NoProp50AP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Opponents of California Proposition 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act, a California ballot measure that would redraw congressional maps to benefit Democrats, rally in Westminster, California, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As a result, Steyer and the state GOP have become the second- and third-largest independent ad buyers in state history. The only group to have spent more was run by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “California Dream Team,” which reported spending a combined $27.8 million on multiple ballot measures in 2004 and 2005.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In yet another example of how the campaign has drawn national attention, Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, gave $8 million to the state GOP in October, which they used to buy \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3083563&amendid=0\">nearly $2.9 million worth of digital ads\u003c/a> two weeks ago; the super PAC also gave $5 million directly to one of the major campaigns against Prop. 50 — “Stop the Sacramento Power Grab.”[aside postID=news_12062049 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/Prop50APPhoto.jpg']Some large nonprofit organizations are spending money on Prop. 50, too. The largest expenditures come from the California Community Foundation, which reported spending $800,000 to support the proposition, although that doesn’t capture all of the money the nonprofit is putting into the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miguel Santana, president and CEO, said that the foundation is additionally spending more than a million dollars to convince voters to participate in the election without telling them specifically how to vote, though efforts to increase turnout without taking a position are not reported to the secretary of state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California representation at the federal level matters,” Santana said. “Our power is being diluted by the gerrymandering that is taking place in other parts of the country.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Not just Democrats and Republicans\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Other political parties and groups in the state have also reported independent expenditures for Prop. 50. The left-leaning California Working Families Party reported spending more than $36,500 on digital ads and outreach to reach voters who might be less receptive to Newsom as a messenger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This isn’t the fight we wanted, but I think it’s important that California, the most populous state in the country, fights back,” said Jane Kim, California Director of the Working Families Party. “We really want to hit younger voters who are less party loyalists.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Libertarian Party of California spent more than $6,400 for postcard mailers opposing the proposition. Loren Dean, chairman of the state party, said the outreach was an opportunity to raise the party’s profile. “It is important to us to take every opportunity to remind people that the ‘two-party’ choice is a fiction built by would-be monopolists who yearn for authority over their neighbors,” Dean said. “Third-party voices matter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"mceTemp\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12061683\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12061683\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2243194321-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2243194321-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2243194321-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2243194321-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2243194321-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2243194321-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A “Yes on Prop 50” flyer lays on the ground in front of a Boyle Heights home on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Los Angeles, CA. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Though not a registered political party, the California Democratic Socialists of America reported spending more than $3,500 to try to persuade voters to vote yes while maintaining distance from Gov. Newsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are not doing this to support him,” said William Prince, co-chair of the organization. “We must ally with him in the struggle against fascism.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similarly to the Libertarian Party, the DSA also sees value in putting out campaign materials stamped with “Democratic Socialists of America.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When voters think about who encouraged them to vote against a permanent MAGA majority in Congress, more are going to think of [California] DSA than they would have if we sat this out,” Prince said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Elected officials and local parties hit their districts\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>More than two dozen county parties, along with current and former elected officials, have reported more than $1 million in independent expenditures for and against Prop. 50.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sonoma County Democratic Party reported spending nearly $90,000 on postcards, phonebanking and radio ads to support the initiative, while the Yuba County Republican Party reported almost $55,000 to spread opposition signs around Northern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pat Sebo, chairperson of the Sonoma County Democratic Party, said the county party spent money on its own mailers and canvassing because it wanted to move faster than its state counterpart. “We wanted to act, we had volunteers, we had them basically beating down the doors at headquarters here,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12060273\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12060273\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251003_Redistrict-Antioch-_-10_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251003_Redistrict-Antioch-_-10_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251003_Redistrict-Antioch-_-10_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251003_Redistrict-Antioch-_-10_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Janet Hoy thanks Pastor Shantell Owens, co-founder of Genesis Church, following the presentation on the pros and cons of Proposition 50 at Genesis Church in Antioch, California, on Oct. 2, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Ballot measure campaigns usually do not distribute signs to local Republican groups,” said Johanna Lassaga, chair of the Yuba County Republican Party. She credited her group’s expenditures for raising visibility of the party’s unified position: “If you drive through the North State, you will see [our signs] everywhere.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along with a $5,000 contribution to the main Yes campaign, former Democratic state Sen. Steve Glazer from Orinda used his ballot measure committee to spend more than $160,000 in support of Prop. 50, because he said he could reach voters in his district in a way a statewide campaign could not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you’re running a statewide campaign, you don’t always have that luxury of microtargeting,” Glazer said. “I felt that I had a good handle on the pulse of the voters in my area, where I believe I have a heightened level of credibility.”[aside postID=news_12061715 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/IMG_1209-2000x1500.jpg']“We decided we want to do it quicker, better, faster,” said Assemblymember Juan Alanis, Republican from Modesto, whose \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1476560\">ballot measure committee\u003c/a> reported spending more than $12,500 on signs to oppose Prop. 50. He said the short election cycle meant the statewide campaigns could not ensure enough signs would reach his district in time, so he decided to “make sure my area is taken care of.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblymember Maggy Krell, a Democrat who represents Sacramento, said that the most valuable way she could have spent $8,000 was to organize door-knocking in her district. “My best contribution to the campaign is my network of volunteers — people who are going door-to-door and engaging voters one conversation at a time,” she wrote in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio from San Diego spent more than $430,000 from his Reform California committee, because he didn’t think the official No campaign was up to the task. He released \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/carldemaio/status/1980300522348535895\">a final ad\u003c/a> last week that urged voters statewide to reject Prop. 50.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t trust the failed consultants of these mega-committees,” he said. “My intuition was correct. The ads were horseshit, off-message.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/10/prop50-money-ads-mailers-billboards/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ -->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Voters in Sacramento got\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/proposition-50\"> a mailer in recent weeks\u003c/a> declaring that “California’s landmark election reform — under attack by Sacramento politicians.” Orinda residents have received flyers that shout “Fight back against Trump — Vote Yes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The narrator on a video\u003ca href=\"https://x.com/carldemaio/status/1980300522348535895\"> ad shared on X\u003c/a> intones, “Two wrongs don’t make a right — Vote No.” These are among a barrage of advertisements, yard signs and billboards bombarding Californians with direction to support or oppose redrawing the state’s congressional districts four years ahead of schedule.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But none of it was paid for by the major campaigns advocating for and against Proposition 50, the ballot measure put forth by Gov. Gavin Newsom to counter Republican redistricting efforts in Texas. Instead, nonprofits, political parties and a billionaire have financed an independent effort as election day approaches Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Groups not directly affiliated with any Prop. 50 campaign have reported spending nearly $26 million to influence voters as of October 30, more than any ballot measure in California history, according to a CalMatters analysis of secretary of state campaign finance data. The spending does not include the $118 million reportedly spent by the three major campaign committees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv id=\"datawrapper-vis-D5MHi\" style=\"min-height: 579px\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/D5MHi/full.png\" alt=\"Proposition 50 has been the subject of more independent expenditures than any previous ballot measure (Table)\" width=\"1220\" height=\"1140\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anybody can buy ads, pay canvassers, or otherwise promote their position on a California ballot measure as long as they register a state committee, disclose major funders in the ads themselves and don’t coordinate with the primary campaigns. Once they’ve spent at least $1,000, they must report their spending to the secretary of state as independent expenditures.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>Independent spending for the redistricting measure is significantly more than the previous record-setting Prop. 32 in 2012, which drew $10.8 million in similar spending and would have restricted campaign contributions from labor unions if it passed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The largest spenders outside of the major campaigns this time are billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer, who reported more than $12.8 million in expenditures and the California Republican Party, which poured more than $10.2 million into ads and messaging opposing the measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12061220\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12061220\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NoProp50AP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NoProp50AP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NoProp50AP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/NoProp50AP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Opponents of California Proposition 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act, a California ballot measure that would redraw congressional maps to benefit Democrats, rally in Westminster, California, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As a result, Steyer and the state GOP have become the second- and third-largest independent ad buyers in state history. The only group to have spent more was run by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “California Dream Team,” which reported spending a combined $27.8 million on multiple ballot measures in 2004 and 2005.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In yet another example of how the campaign has drawn national attention, Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, gave $8 million to the state GOP in October, which they used to buy \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3083563&amendid=0\">nearly $2.9 million worth of digital ads\u003c/a> two weeks ago; the super PAC also gave $5 million directly to one of the major campaigns against Prop. 50 — “Stop the Sacramento Power Grab.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Some large nonprofit organizations are spending money on Prop. 50, too. The largest expenditures come from the California Community Foundation, which reported spending $800,000 to support the proposition, although that doesn’t capture all of the money the nonprofit is putting into the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miguel Santana, president and CEO, said that the foundation is additionally spending more than a million dollars to convince voters to participate in the election without telling them specifically how to vote, though efforts to increase turnout without taking a position are not reported to the secretary of state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California representation at the federal level matters,” Santana said. “Our power is being diluted by the gerrymandering that is taking place in other parts of the country.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Not just Democrats and Republicans\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Other political parties and groups in the state have also reported independent expenditures for Prop. 50. The left-leaning California Working Families Party reported spending more than $36,500 on digital ads and outreach to reach voters who might be less receptive to Newsom as a messenger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This isn’t the fight we wanted, but I think it’s important that California, the most populous state in the country, fights back,” said Jane Kim, California Director of the Working Families Party. “We really want to hit younger voters who are less party loyalists.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Libertarian Party of California spent more than $6,400 for postcard mailers opposing the proposition. Loren Dean, chairman of the state party, said the outreach was an opportunity to raise the party’s profile. “It is important to us to take every opportunity to remind people that the ‘two-party’ choice is a fiction built by would-be monopolists who yearn for authority over their neighbors,” Dean said. “Third-party voices matter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"mceTemp\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12061683\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12061683\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2243194321-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2243194321-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2243194321-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2243194321-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2243194321-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2243194321-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A “Yes on Prop 50” flyer lays on the ground in front of a Boyle Heights home on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Los Angeles, CA. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Though not a registered political party, the California Democratic Socialists of America reported spending more than $3,500 to try to persuade voters to vote yes while maintaining distance from Gov. Newsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are not doing this to support him,” said William Prince, co-chair of the organization. “We must ally with him in the struggle against fascism.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similarly to the Libertarian Party, the DSA also sees value in putting out campaign materials stamped with “Democratic Socialists of America.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When voters think about who encouraged them to vote against a permanent MAGA majority in Congress, more are going to think of [California] DSA than they would have if we sat this out,” Prince said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Elected officials and local parties hit their districts\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>More than two dozen county parties, along with current and former elected officials, have reported more than $1 million in independent expenditures for and against Prop. 50.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sonoma County Democratic Party reported spending nearly $90,000 on postcards, phonebanking and radio ads to support the initiative, while the Yuba County Republican Party reported almost $55,000 to spread opposition signs around Northern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pat Sebo, chairperson of the Sonoma County Democratic Party, said the county party spent money on its own mailers and canvassing because it wanted to move faster than its state counterpart. “We wanted to act, we had volunteers, we had them basically beating down the doors at headquarters here,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12060273\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12060273\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251003_Redistrict-Antioch-_-10_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251003_Redistrict-Antioch-_-10_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251003_Redistrict-Antioch-_-10_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251003_Redistrict-Antioch-_-10_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Janet Hoy thanks Pastor Shantell Owens, co-founder of Genesis Church, following the presentation on the pros and cons of Proposition 50 at Genesis Church in Antioch, California, on Oct. 2, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Ballot measure campaigns usually do not distribute signs to local Republican groups,” said Johanna Lassaga, chair of the Yuba County Republican Party. She credited her group’s expenditures for raising visibility of the party’s unified position: “If you drive through the North State, you will see [our signs] everywhere.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along with a $5,000 contribution to the main Yes campaign, former Democratic state Sen. Steve Glazer from Orinda used his ballot measure committee to spend more than $160,000 in support of Prop. 50, because he said he could reach voters in his district in a way a statewide campaign could not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you’re running a statewide campaign, you don’t always have that luxury of microtargeting,” Glazer said. “I felt that I had a good handle on the pulse of the voters in my area, where I believe I have a heightened level of credibility.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We decided we want to do it quicker, better, faster,” said Assemblymember Juan Alanis, Republican from Modesto, whose \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1476560\">ballot measure committee\u003c/a> reported spending more than $12,500 on signs to oppose Prop. 50. He said the short election cycle meant the statewide campaigns could not ensure enough signs would reach his district in time, so he decided to “make sure my area is taken care of.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblymember Maggy Krell, a Democrat who represents Sacramento, said that the most valuable way she could have spent $8,000 was to organize door-knocking in her district. “My best contribution to the campaign is my network of volunteers — people who are going door-to-door and engaging voters one conversation at a time,” she wrote in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio from San Diego spent more than $430,000 from his Reform California committee, because he didn’t think the official No campaign was up to the task. He released \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/carldemaio/status/1980300522348535895\">a final ad\u003c/a> last week that urged voters statewide to reject Prop. 50.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t trust the failed consultants of these mega-committees,” he said. “My intuition was correct. The ads were horseshit, off-message.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/10/prop50-money-ads-mailers-billboards/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "'No Sanctuary Anywhere': Border Patrol Raids Strike Heart of California Capitol",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Border Patrol agents moved their operations northward Thursday to California’s capital, targeting a Home Depot in Sacramento, this time more than 500 miles away from the border.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Friday, a judge in Los Angeles \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/07/la-immigration-restraining-order/\">ordered federal immigration agents\u003c/a> to temporarily stop the “roving patrols” in which \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/investigation/2025/07/patterns-in-california-immigration-raids/\">heavily armed agents\u003c/a> have aggressively detained immigrants and U.S. citizens throughout Southern California during a month-long crackdown. They targeted car washes, construction jobs, and Home Depots, arresting mostly Latino men who were longtime residents of Los Angeles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It appeared agents had stopped the warrantless, aggressive sweeps through Los Angeles since the court ruling, which only applied to the state’s Central District. However, Border Patrol has been under a separate court order to stop similar warrantless raids in the state’s Eastern District — which includes Sacramento — after agents raided a Home Depot and other worksites in January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The architect of both the Central Valley and Los Angeles operations, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/investigation/2025/06/los-angeles-border-patrol-chief/\">Gregory Bovino\u003c/a>, stood in front of the State Capitol Building on Thursday for \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/billmelugin_/status/1945902933813690454?s=46\">an interview with Fox News\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is no sanctuary city. Sacramento is not a sanctuary city. The state of California is not a sanctuary state. There is no sanctuary anywhere,” the El Centro sector’s chief patrol agent said. “We’re here to stay. We’re not going anywhere. We’re going to affect this mission and secure the homeland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also on Thursday, a federal appeals court denied on procedural grounds the Department of Homeland Security’s request to pause the temporary restraining order won last week by civil rights groups, who argued that the “\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/07/la-immigration-raids-lawsuit/\">brazen, midday kidnappings\u003c/a>” violated the Constitution’s protections against unreasonable searches. The government was illegally \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/investigation/2025/06/taken-la-immigration-raids/\">denying detainees access to an attorney\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12048135\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12048135 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GettyImages-2220045842-scaled-e1752857672682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Federal agents guard outside of a federal building and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in downtown Los Angeles as demonstrations continue after a series of immigration raids began last Friday, on June 13, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. Tensions in the city remain high after the Trump administration called in the National Guard and the Marines against the wishes of city leaders. \u003ccite>(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the Kern County case, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in April \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/04/border-patrol-injunction/\">barring agents from using racial profiling\u003c/a> in the Eastern District of California, which includes Sacramento.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In court paperwork, the federal government maintains that its tactics are legitimate while \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/04/border-patrol-to-retrain-hundreds-of-california-agents-on-how-to-comply-with-the-constitution/\">vowing to retrain agents\u003c/a> on the Fourth and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bovino publicly said that Border Patrol went after a list of specific criminal targets, but the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/04/border-patrol-records-kern-county/\">agency’s own documents\u003c/a> later showed that it only had a previous record on one of the 78 people it arrested.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After that court ruling, Border Patrol agents moved districts and became more aggressive, fanning out, while wearing masks, across Southern California.[aside postID=news_12048509 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/Interior-Secretary-Doug-Burgum.jpg']Not only do Thursday’s activities mark a return to the Eastern District, but they went right to the heart of California’s government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom said the Border Patrol is trying to escape a court order, and said they should get out of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Border Patrol should do their jobs — at the border — instead of continuing their tirade statewide of illegal racial profiling and illegal arrests,” said Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a Newsom spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agents arrested about 10 people at the Home Depot in Sacramento on Thursday, according to Border Patrol.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kcra.com/article/border-patrol-raid-home-depot-florin-road-sacramento/65440117\">In a video shared by KCRA\u003c/a>, the NBC affiliate in Sacramento, a woman identified as Andrea Castillo can be heard shouting, “Leave him alone! He’s a U.S. citizen!” as masked agents chase a man running across a parking lot. An agent wearing a mask momentarily turns and points a can of mace at the person filming the video. Another armed man, in a full-face mask and wearing a green vest labeled only “police,” could be seen joining in the chase. Castillo continues shouting, “He’s my husband.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Five men surround the man, who is face-down on the blacktop, while screaming at the person filming the video to stay back. “His brother is a Marine Corps officer,” she shouts while several more armed and masked men join in on the arrest. “Stand back or you will be maced,” another agent screams at her. The woman filming asks one of the agents for his badge number, and he responds: “Google me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12040806\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12040806\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-SACRAMENTOFILE-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-SACRAMENTOFILE-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-SACRAMENTOFILE-04-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-SACRAMENTOFILE-04-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-SACRAMENTOFILE-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-SACRAMENTOFILE-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-SACRAMENTOFILE-04-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The California State Capitol in Sacramento on May 6, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Another photo shared to social media shows the man — identified in media reports as Jose Castillo — being arrested with a badly stained face, presumably from mace, and what appears to be a bruise under his left eye. His wife told KCRA he is a U.S. citizen. The Border Patrol said he slashed one of their tires in the Home Depot parking lot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Mexican government interviewed 330 Mexican nationals who were arrested by immigration officials in Los Angeles between June 6 and July 6, finding more than half had lived in the U.S. for at least a decade. One-third had lived here for more than 20 years, and one-third had U.S.-born children, according to the Mexican Consulate of Los Angeles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vast majority of those arrested were employed in working-class labor-intensive jobs, with 16.4% working at a car wash, 13.3% in construction, 13% had a factory job, and 11.5% worked as landscapers.[aside postID=news_12048357 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250609-SF-IMMIGRATION-PROTESTS-MD-08-KQED-3.jpg']In a motion to dismiss the Kern County lawsuit, the federal government argued agents are using a variety of factors, and not just a person’s skin color, when considering immigration stops, including the type of haircut a person has.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are a number of factors Border Patrol can consider in assessing reasonable suspicion, including the characteristic appearance of persons who live in Mexico, such as the mode of dress and haircut,” the federal government wrote in their motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California on behalf of the United Farm Workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The government also said in the court filings that agents are considering a “totality of the circumstances, including the agent’s training and experience,” and prior surveillance of locations known to agents as places where undocumented workers congregate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Border Patrol also issued new guidelines to agents, the government said, to provide detainees with access to legal counsel before they sign “voluntary removal” orders, after being accused of using coercive tactics like brandishing their guns when someone asked to see an immigration judge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/07/sacramento-border-patrol-raids/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Border Patrol agents moved their operations northward Thursday to California’s capital, targeting a Home Depot in Sacramento, this time more than 500 miles away from the border.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Friday, a judge in Los Angeles \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/07/la-immigration-restraining-order/\">ordered federal immigration agents\u003c/a> to temporarily stop the “roving patrols” in which \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/investigation/2025/07/patterns-in-california-immigration-raids/\">heavily armed agents\u003c/a> have aggressively detained immigrants and U.S. citizens throughout Southern California during a month-long crackdown. They targeted car washes, construction jobs, and Home Depots, arresting mostly Latino men who were longtime residents of Los Angeles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It appeared agents had stopped the warrantless, aggressive sweeps through Los Angeles since the court ruling, which only applied to the state’s Central District. However, Border Patrol has been under a separate court order to stop similar warrantless raids in the state’s Eastern District — which includes Sacramento — after agents raided a Home Depot and other worksites in January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The architect of both the Central Valley and Los Angeles operations, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/investigation/2025/06/los-angeles-border-patrol-chief/\">Gregory Bovino\u003c/a>, stood in front of the State Capitol Building on Thursday for \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/billmelugin_/status/1945902933813690454?s=46\">an interview with Fox News\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is no sanctuary city. Sacramento is not a sanctuary city. The state of California is not a sanctuary state. There is no sanctuary anywhere,” the El Centro sector’s chief patrol agent said. “We’re here to stay. We’re not going anywhere. We’re going to affect this mission and secure the homeland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also on Thursday, a federal appeals court denied on procedural grounds the Department of Homeland Security’s request to pause the temporary restraining order won last week by civil rights groups, who argued that the “\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/07/la-immigration-raids-lawsuit/\">brazen, midday kidnappings\u003c/a>” violated the Constitution’s protections against unreasonable searches. The government was illegally \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/investigation/2025/06/taken-la-immigration-raids/\">denying detainees access to an attorney\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12048135\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12048135 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GettyImages-2220045842-scaled-e1752857672682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Federal agents guard outside of a federal building and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in downtown Los Angeles as demonstrations continue after a series of immigration raids began last Friday, on June 13, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. Tensions in the city remain high after the Trump administration called in the National Guard and the Marines against the wishes of city leaders. \u003ccite>(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the Kern County case, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in April \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/04/border-patrol-injunction/\">barring agents from using racial profiling\u003c/a> in the Eastern District of California, which includes Sacramento.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In court paperwork, the federal government maintains that its tactics are legitimate while \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/04/border-patrol-to-retrain-hundreds-of-california-agents-on-how-to-comply-with-the-constitution/\">vowing to retrain agents\u003c/a> on the Fourth and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bovino publicly said that Border Patrol went after a list of specific criminal targets, but the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/04/border-patrol-records-kern-county/\">agency’s own documents\u003c/a> later showed that it only had a previous record on one of the 78 people it arrested.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After that court ruling, Border Patrol agents moved districts and became more aggressive, fanning out, while wearing masks, across Southern California.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Not only do Thursday’s activities mark a return to the Eastern District, but they went right to the heart of California’s government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom said the Border Patrol is trying to escape a court order, and said they should get out of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Border Patrol should do their jobs — at the border — instead of continuing their tirade statewide of illegal racial profiling and illegal arrests,” said Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a Newsom spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agents arrested about 10 people at the Home Depot in Sacramento on Thursday, according to Border Patrol.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kcra.com/article/border-patrol-raid-home-depot-florin-road-sacramento/65440117\">In a video shared by KCRA\u003c/a>, the NBC affiliate in Sacramento, a woman identified as Andrea Castillo can be heard shouting, “Leave him alone! He’s a U.S. citizen!” as masked agents chase a man running across a parking lot. An agent wearing a mask momentarily turns and points a can of mace at the person filming the video. Another armed man, in a full-face mask and wearing a green vest labeled only “police,” could be seen joining in the chase. Castillo continues shouting, “He’s my husband.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Five men surround the man, who is face-down on the blacktop, while screaming at the person filming the video to stay back. “His brother is a Marine Corps officer,” she shouts while several more armed and masked men join in on the arrest. “Stand back or you will be maced,” another agent screams at her. The woman filming asks one of the agents for his badge number, and he responds: “Google me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12040806\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12040806\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-SACRAMENTOFILE-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-SACRAMENTOFILE-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-SACRAMENTOFILE-04-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-SACRAMENTOFILE-04-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-SACRAMENTOFILE-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-SACRAMENTOFILE-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-SACRAMENTOFILE-04-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The California State Capitol in Sacramento on May 6, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Another photo shared to social media shows the man — identified in media reports as Jose Castillo — being arrested with a badly stained face, presumably from mace, and what appears to be a bruise under his left eye. His wife told KCRA he is a U.S. citizen. The Border Patrol said he slashed one of their tires in the Home Depot parking lot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Mexican government interviewed 330 Mexican nationals who were arrested by immigration officials in Los Angeles between June 6 and July 6, finding more than half had lived in the U.S. for at least a decade. One-third had lived here for more than 20 years, and one-third had U.S.-born children, according to the Mexican Consulate of Los Angeles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vast majority of those arrested were employed in working-class labor-intensive jobs, with 16.4% working at a car wash, 13.3% in construction, 13% had a factory job, and 11.5% worked as landscapers.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In a motion to dismiss the Kern County lawsuit, the federal government argued agents are using a variety of factors, and not just a person’s skin color, when considering immigration stops, including the type of haircut a person has.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are a number of factors Border Patrol can consider in assessing reasonable suspicion, including the characteristic appearance of persons who live in Mexico, such as the mode of dress and haircut,” the federal government wrote in their motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California on behalf of the United Farm Workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The government also said in the court filings that agents are considering a “totality of the circumstances, including the agent’s training and experience,” and prior surveillance of locations known to agents as places where undocumented workers congregate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Border Patrol also issued new guidelines to agents, the government said, to provide detainees with access to legal counsel before they sign “voluntary removal” orders, after being accused of using coercive tactics like brandishing their guns when someone asked to see an immigration judge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/07/sacramento-border-patrol-raids/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Four Bay Area residents were identified Friday as victims of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12046998/fireworks-warehouse-in-yolo-county-a-major-bay-area-fireworks-supplier-goes-up-in-smoke\">deadly explosion at a fireworks warehouse\u003c/a> in Yolo County last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neil Justin Li, 41, and Christopher Goltiao Bocog, 45, of San Francisco, as well as brothers Jesus Manaces Ramos, 18, and Jhony Ernesto Ramos, 22, of San Pablo, were among seven victims named by the Yolo County coroner’s office. The three others killed in the blast were Joel Jeremias Melendez, 28, of Sacramento; Angel Mathew Voller, 18, of Stockton; and Carlos Javier Rodriguez-Mora, 43, of San Andreas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The July 1 blast, which released a mushroom cloud of explosives, debris and smoke and started a fire that spread for nearly 80 acres, is believed to have originated at the Esparto warehouse where the San Francisco-based company Devastating Pyrotechnics stored fireworks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the days since, local and state officials have been working to determine how the “very rare” incident began.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have not seen anything like this,” Esparto Fire Protection District Chief Curtis Lawrence said at a news conference the day after the explosion. “This is obviously an incident of great magnitude.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the weeks since, details have been slowly coming to light.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s what we know so far about the explosion and the ongoing investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The explosion\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On the evening of July 1, the Esparto Fire Protection District and Cal Fire crews responded to reports of a potential fire and explosion at a commercial warehouse near County Roads 23 and 86A, about three miles west of Interstate 505.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawrence said the department arrived around 6 p.m. and worked to put out the blaze into the night. The incident prompted multi-day evacuation orders, and seven people were reported missing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12047755\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12047755\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FireworksExplosionEspartoCalFire2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FireworksExplosionEspartoCalFire2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FireworksExplosionEspartoCalFire2-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FireworksExplosionEspartoCalFire2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Firefighters assisting Yolo County at the scene of a commercial fire that spread into nearby vegetation on Highway 16 and Oakdale Ranch Lane, in Esparto, California, on July 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Cal Fire LNU)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On July 5, Yolo County sheriff’s officials announced they had found the bodies of the seven individuals, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12047521/a-week-after-deadly-fireworks-blast-families-wait-for-answers\">multiple of whom had already been identified by relatives\u003c/a>, including Jesus and Jhony Ramos, Contra Costa County residents who formerly attended school in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are deeply saddened to learn that two SFUSD alumni are impacted by the explosion at the fireworks factory in Yolo County. Our thoughts are with their family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time,” the San Francisco Unified School District wrote on Facebook earlier this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a GoFundMe organized by SFUSD teacher Jeff Steeno, Jhony and Jesus had recently started working at the fireworks warehouse. Jesus, who was also expecting a child, was there for his first shift on the day of the explosion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both brothers were alumni of Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 School in the Mission District, \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2025/07/buena-vista-horace-mann-mourns-jesus-and-jhony-ramos-brothers-killed-in-yolo-county-fireworks-explosion/\">according to\u003cem> Mission Local.\u003c/em> \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The news outlet reported that the brothers had gotten the jobs at Devastating Pyrotechnics through their step-brother, Joel Melendez, 28, who was an employee.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A larger investigation\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The unusual circumstances of the explosion and \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2025/07/10/this-is-a-huge-red-flag-fireworks-expert-raises-concerns-over-deadly-esparto-explosion/\">concerns from firework experts\u003c/a> have raised questions about the facility’s safety and compliance, especially after the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office told reporters that the incident was being treated as an active crime scene investigation and primarily as a “law enforcement incident.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, investigators with the Office of the California State Fire Marshal, along with officials from the Yolo and Sacramento county sheriffs’ offices and the San Francisco Police Department, were seen conducting a search at a residence in San Francisco’s Inner Richmond District. The home is listed as Devastating Pyrotechnics’ business address on its state licenses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12047757\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12047757\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250418-SFPDFile-39-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250418-SFPDFile-39-BL_qed-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250418-SFPDFile-39-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250418-SFPDFile-39-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A San Francisco Police Department officer in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While Devastating Pyrotechnics owner Kenneth Chee has three state-level fireworks licenses for importing and exporting, wholesale and public display, law enforcement officials said that facilities like the one in Esparto must also meet federal explosive storage requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/fireworks-explosion-20761991.php\">The \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> reported\u003c/a> last week that Chee, who was previously convicted of assault with a firearm and firing a gun from a motor vehicle at a person, was denied a federal license by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.[aside postID=news_12046998 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/230628-SAN-FRANCISCO-FIREWORKS-GETTY-SM-KQED-1020x680.jpg']The Chronicle reported that another man, Gary Chan Jr., obtained a federal license to run Devastating Pyrotechnics in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The home on the 400 block of 2nd Avenue, where \u003ca href=\"https://hoodline.com/2025/07/bomb-squad-raids-inner-richmond-home-associated-with-devastating-pyrotechnics-after-deadly-blast-kills-seven/\">Hoodline San Francisco\u003c/a> observed officers conducting the search, is a previous address of Chee. The property is owned by Jack Lee, who is named as an employee of Devastating Pyrotechnics in contract proposals and company documents extending over multiple years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Office of the State Fire Marshal and other agencies KQED contacted for comment would not confirm that they had conducted a search of the site, but said, “Investigators are actively tracking down numerous leads and have served multiple search warrants as part of the investigation process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement on Wednesday, Douglas Horngrad, an attorney who is representing Chee, said: “Kenny [Chee] is innocent of any wrongdoing in connection with the Yolo fire. This incident is currently under investigation. Until such investigation is completed, we will have no further public comment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ties to local public safety agencies\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Esparto property where Devastating Pyrotechnics’ warehouse was located is also the home base for Blackstar Fireworks, which Craig Cutright, a volunteer with the Esparto Fire Protection District, owns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blackstar has an active public display fireworks license, according to Cal Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In text messages to \u003ca href=\"https://www.abc10.com/article/news/investigations/investigating-northern-californias-fireworks-explosion/103-2cae9b54-25c6-4d45-a9c6-9c639d7e1514\">ABC 10\u003c/a> the night of the explosion, Cutright denied that any of his fireworks were involved, the TV station reported. He pointed to Devastating Pyrotechnics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Company documents name Cutright as an employee of Devastating Pyrotechnics as recently as 2022. He’s described as a “senior show producer” on proposals for fireworks contracts with city governments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The property where the warehouses are located is owned by Sam Machado, who operates his own ATF-licensed business, Sam’s Gun Sales, on the site and is a sheriff’s deputy in Yolo County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Few details about the Office of the State Fire Marshal’s investigation have been made public thus far, but the agency said in a statement that it is ongoing, adding, “Please know that we are committed to conducting a thorough and comprehensive investigation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Correction: The fire that originated at the Esparto warehouse spread for nearly 80 acres, not miles, as this article previously stated.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the days since, local and state officials have been working to determine how the “very rare” incident began.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have not seen anything like this,” Esparto Fire Protection District Chief Curtis Lawrence said at a news conference the day after the explosion. “This is obviously an incident of great magnitude.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the weeks since, details have been slowly coming to light.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s what we know so far about the explosion and the ongoing investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The explosion\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On the evening of July 1, the Esparto Fire Protection District and Cal Fire crews responded to reports of a potential fire and explosion at a commercial warehouse near County Roads 23 and 86A, about three miles west of Interstate 505.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawrence said the department arrived around 6 p.m. and worked to put out the blaze into the night. The incident prompted multi-day evacuation orders, and seven people were reported missing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12047755\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12047755\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FireworksExplosionEspartoCalFire2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FireworksExplosionEspartoCalFire2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FireworksExplosionEspartoCalFire2-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FireworksExplosionEspartoCalFire2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Firefighters assisting Yolo County at the scene of a commercial fire that spread into nearby vegetation on Highway 16 and Oakdale Ranch Lane, in Esparto, California, on July 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Cal Fire LNU)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On July 5, Yolo County sheriff’s officials announced they had found the bodies of the seven individuals, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12047521/a-week-after-deadly-fireworks-blast-families-wait-for-answers\">multiple of whom had already been identified by relatives\u003c/a>, including Jesus and Jhony Ramos, Contra Costa County residents who formerly attended school in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are deeply saddened to learn that two SFUSD alumni are impacted by the explosion at the fireworks factory in Yolo County. Our thoughts are with their family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time,” the San Francisco Unified School District wrote on Facebook earlier this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a GoFundMe organized by SFUSD teacher Jeff Steeno, Jhony and Jesus had recently started working at the fireworks warehouse. Jesus, who was also expecting a child, was there for his first shift on the day of the explosion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both brothers were alumni of Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 School in the Mission District, \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2025/07/buena-vista-horace-mann-mourns-jesus-and-jhony-ramos-brothers-killed-in-yolo-county-fireworks-explosion/\">according to\u003cem> Mission Local.\u003c/em> \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The news outlet reported that the brothers had gotten the jobs at Devastating Pyrotechnics through their step-brother, Joel Melendez, 28, who was an employee.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A larger investigation\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The unusual circumstances of the explosion and \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2025/07/10/this-is-a-huge-red-flag-fireworks-expert-raises-concerns-over-deadly-esparto-explosion/\">concerns from firework experts\u003c/a> have raised questions about the facility’s safety and compliance, especially after the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office told reporters that the incident was being treated as an active crime scene investigation and primarily as a “law enforcement incident.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, investigators with the Office of the California State Fire Marshal, along with officials from the Yolo and Sacramento county sheriffs’ offices and the San Francisco Police Department, were seen conducting a search at a residence in San Francisco’s Inner Richmond District. The home is listed as Devastating Pyrotechnics’ business address on its state licenses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12047757\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12047757\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250418-SFPDFile-39-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250418-SFPDFile-39-BL_qed-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250418-SFPDFile-39-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250418-SFPDFile-39-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A San Francisco Police Department officer in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While Devastating Pyrotechnics owner Kenneth Chee has three state-level fireworks licenses for importing and exporting, wholesale and public display, law enforcement officials said that facilities like the one in Esparto must also meet federal explosive storage requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/fireworks-explosion-20761991.php\">The \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> reported\u003c/a> last week that Chee, who was previously convicted of assault with a firearm and firing a gun from a motor vehicle at a person, was denied a federal license by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The Chronicle reported that another man, Gary Chan Jr., obtained a federal license to run Devastating Pyrotechnics in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The home on the 400 block of 2nd Avenue, where \u003ca href=\"https://hoodline.com/2025/07/bomb-squad-raids-inner-richmond-home-associated-with-devastating-pyrotechnics-after-deadly-blast-kills-seven/\">Hoodline San Francisco\u003c/a> observed officers conducting the search, is a previous address of Chee. The property is owned by Jack Lee, who is named as an employee of Devastating Pyrotechnics in contract proposals and company documents extending over multiple years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Office of the State Fire Marshal and other agencies KQED contacted for comment would not confirm that they had conducted a search of the site, but said, “Investigators are actively tracking down numerous leads and have served multiple search warrants as part of the investigation process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement on Wednesday, Douglas Horngrad, an attorney who is representing Chee, said: “Kenny [Chee] is innocent of any wrongdoing in connection with the Yolo fire. This incident is currently under investigation. Until such investigation is completed, we will have no further public comment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ties to local public safety agencies\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Esparto property where Devastating Pyrotechnics’ warehouse was located is also the home base for Blackstar Fireworks, which Craig Cutright, a volunteer with the Esparto Fire Protection District, owns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blackstar has an active public display fireworks license, according to Cal Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In text messages to \u003ca href=\"https://www.abc10.com/article/news/investigations/investigating-northern-californias-fireworks-explosion/103-2cae9b54-25c6-4d45-a9c6-9c639d7e1514\">ABC 10\u003c/a> the night of the explosion, Cutright denied that any of his fireworks were involved, the TV station reported. He pointed to Devastating Pyrotechnics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Company documents name Cutright as an employee of Devastating Pyrotechnics as recently as 2022. He’s described as a “senior show producer” on proposals for fireworks contracts with city governments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The property where the warehouses are located is owned by Sam Machado, who operates his own ATF-licensed business, Sam’s Gun Sales, on the site and is a sheriff’s deputy in Yolo County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Few details about the Office of the State Fire Marshal’s investigation have been made public thus far, but the agency said in a statement that it is ongoing, adding, “Please know that we are committed to conducting a thorough and comprehensive investigation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Correction: The fire that originated at the Esparto warehouse spread for nearly 80 acres, not miles, as this article previously stated.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "how-poetry-helps-dementia-caregivers-find-shelter-from-the-storm",
"title": "How Poetry Helps Dementia Caregivers Find Shelter from the Storm",
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"headTitle": "How Poetry Helps Dementia Caregivers Find Shelter from the Storm | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Frances Kakugawa is a firm believer that the act of caring for another human being can inspire poetry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She knows this from experience, having cared for her mother, Matsue, who was diagnosed with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/alzheimers\">Alzheimer’s \u003c/a>in the 1990s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Panicked that she would forget how to write her own name, Matsue penned her signature again and again and again in notebooks, Kakugawa recounted to a group of older adults at a Sacramento community center last October.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the event, Kakugawa read from her poem, “Five Notebooks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Five notebooks, one hundred sheets,\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Two hundred pages, twenty two lines per page.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Twenty two thousand Matsue Kakugawa.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Twenty two thousand attempts\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>To save herself from the thief\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Who was stealing her name.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12012811\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12012811\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The poem “Mother Into Child, Child Into Mother,” which was the first poem Frances Kakugawa wrote about being her mother’s caregiver on Oct. 29, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Poetry helped Kakugawa take control of the painful experience of watching her mother’s cognitive abilities decline. With pen and paper, she transformed caregiving into something profound, while preserving her mother’s dignity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the middle of chaos, writing poetry helped me make sense of what was going on,” Kakugawa said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the decades since her mother was diagnosed, Kakugawa has continued inspiring other caregivers to write poetry. For about 20 years, she’s run a poetry group in Sacramento for caregivers. She helps caregivers write poetry during monthly sessions and during lectures on elder care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kakugawa believes caregivers need spaces to express themselves. The role is often all-consuming, leaving people isolated, exhausted and with little time to focus on themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12038795 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250505-SUZY-DEGAZON-NM-05-KQED-1020x599.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re able to process that through poetry, and become the kind of caregiver that is needed,” Kakugawa said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.alz.org/professionals/public-health/state-overview/california\">1.4 million\u003c/a> unpaid caregivers in California are providing care for people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. And the share of older adults in the state is growing, with the Public Policy Institute of California \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/californias-aging-population/\">projecting \u003c/a>almost one-quarter of Californians to be age 65 or older by 2040. That means many more people caring for older adults may be looking for avenues to relieve stress and share their experiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Studies have documented the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7447694/\">positive impact\u003c/a> of poetry on emotional well-being, but research examining whether writing poetry helps caregivers specifically is limited. A 2011 clinical trial \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21859411/\">tested \u003c/a>the effectiveness of writing poetry for family caregivers of people with dementia. The caregivers saw a range of benefits to writing poems, like a sense of pride, catharsis and greater acceptance of their loved ones and their illnesses. .\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One example described in the trial was a woman who had been irritated by the constant laughter of her spouse. After writing a poem, “she realized that his laugh was the only sound left to her husband; suddenly, it became something to hold onto and to preserve.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Caregiver Confidential’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At his home in Sacramento, Ross Powers flipped through a manuscript of poems he wrote during Kakugawa’s poetry group. He’s calling the manuscript “Caregiver Confidential.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The poems are about caregiving for his late wife, Michela, who died in 2022. Michela had been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a condition that causes dementia and problems with movement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12012813\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12012813\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ross Powers’ home decorated with artwork made by his late wife, Michela Maiden, in Sacramento on Oct. 29, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her artwork fills the walls of his living room and her presence is everywhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He and Michela started dating in the 1980s. She was clever, funny and naturally curious, knowing the right questions to ask to keep conversations flowing. She liked to entertain those around her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Michela’s condition worsened, she lost the ability to read or write. She depended on her husband for everything.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Powers tried joining a support group, but the mood was too dark for him. Then he learned about Kakugawa’s poetry group, and that changed everything.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These were people who were willing to talk, not just in an ordinary conversation, but they were willing to try and squeeze their emotions into some other form,” Powers said. “It might be an exaggeration to say it saved my life, but it saved some part of my sanity. It gave me a place to stand.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Writing poetry helped him process this massive and confusing responsibility of caring for his wife. She needed him, and he would be there for her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Being of service to her was probably the great privilege of my life,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12040339\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12040339\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"841\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED-800x269.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED-1020x343.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED-160x54.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED-1536x517.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED-2048x689.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED-1920x646.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Ross Powers speaks about his experience as a dementia caregiver for his late wife, Michela Maiden, at his home in Sacramento on Oct. 29, 2024. Right: Ross Powers holds a photo of his late wife, Michela Maiden, who was diagnosed with a form of dementia, at their home in Sacramento on Oct. 29, 2024. Ross Powers was his wife’s caregiver for 3 years. Ross now attends Frances Kakugawa’s poetry support group for dementia caregivers. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In his poem “Nursing,” Powers writes:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>place an arm around shoulders\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>lean close, study her eyes \u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>for signs of their meaning\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>slice, dice, crush, blend \u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>something she can swallow\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>bathe her, dress her\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>prep the meds, liquids, liquids \u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>always the liquids…\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Oh, call it nursing, so what?\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>call it care-giving or compassion\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>call it love if you want to\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Am I the caregiver or the receiver?\u003cstrong>’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Poems written by the caregivers also document a fleeting experience in time, memorializing the stories of the caregivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last fall, Brenda Sue Pignata lost her husband, Frank.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They were both math teachers. When they met, Frank was the assistant headmaster at Sacramento Country Day School, and Pignata taught in Stockton. He asked her to dance during a math conference. He loved airplanes, and on one of their first dates, he flew her around in a little airplane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During their 40-plus-year marriage, the dancing continued with disco lessons, even after the craze was popular. They lived together in the unincorporated community of Rescue, Calif., calling it their “little piece of heaven.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an interview last spring, Pignata said she began noticing signs Frank’s health was declining around 2007. Her husband had always been a gentle soul, she said, but he started becoming easily frustrated as his short-term memory declined. The family rallied around him, though “nobody ever used the word dementia, nobody ever used the word caregiver,” Pignata said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gardening and journaling became her refuge. Pignata said Frank, who needed the comfort of knowing exactly where she was, would sit on the deck of their home and watch while she gardened. He continued to write her love letters and leave little notes for her to find.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12035436 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/230401-Brittianna-Robinson-04-KQED-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just months after her husband, Pignata, also died suddenly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Pignata’s home in Rescue, her son Mike Smith read poems his mother wrote about caregiving for the first time. He worried his mother was so consumed with Frank that she neglected herself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But writing poems about caregiving seemed to lift a weight off his mother’s shoulders. And now he has his mother’s poetry to read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is so much of her in this house. Everything I look at reminds me of her — and of him,” Smith said. “She has so much writing for me to read and learn what was going on in her mind.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pignata was working on a book, “Dancing with Mr. P: Disco to Dementia,” that her son hopes to finish someday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of Pignata’s poems is about how she grew to appreciate simple moments with Frank. It’s called “Am I the caregiver or the care receiver?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know she learned so much about caring for dementia patients, and dealing with the feelings of guilt, sadness, sorrow and grief,” Smith said. “And I guarantee you that other people are going to find that valuable. I just need to be able to get it out there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The force holding the poets together\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For Diane Woodruff, a caregiver from an earlier cohort, poetry helped express her gratitude to Kakugawa after the poetry teacher danced hula at the Alzheimer’s facility where her mother stayed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the piece, Woodruff described how Kakugawa transformed into a hula goddess.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>I learned a valuable lesson from my poetry teacher and the Hawaiian hula goddess that day \u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>It is important to continue to create fun in the darkest times and places\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Laughter is the medicine of the Gods\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>It helps us get through the toughest times \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12012810\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12012810\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Frances Kakugawa interacts with her mall friends at the Arden Fair in Sacramento on Oct. 29, 2024. The group walks around the mall almost daily every morning. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hearing so many poems about pain and redemption, compassion and frustration and love over the years has inspired Kakugawa, but it has also left her feeling burned out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As caregivers gradually leave the poetry group over time, she expects it to fade away on its own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Growing up in Hawaii, Kakugawa decided she was going to become a writer when she was six years old. She kept her poetry a secret for years and escaped to the outhouse to enjoy rare moments of privacy and read whatever she could find.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now she shares her poetry with strangers — everyone from caregivers to older adults she meets at a shopping mall near her Sacramento home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s working on a book called “The Outhouse Poet: Reflections of a Writer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kakugawa expects that book to be her last. She’s ready to relax — and to take care of herself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Reporter \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/hmcdede\">Holly J. McDede\u003c/a> is a writer with the Investigative Reporting Program at the \u003ca href=\"https://journalism.berkeley.edu/\">UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism\u003c/a>. She covered this story through a grant from \u003ca href=\"https://www.thescanfoundation.org/\">The SCAN Foundation\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s or dementia is often stressful and isolating. For caregivers in a Sacramento poetry group, led by writer Frances Kakugawa, self-expression helps channel emotion and find meaning in dementia care.",
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"title": "How Poetry Helps Dementia Caregivers Find Shelter from the Storm | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Frances Kakugawa is a firm believer that the act of caring for another human being can inspire poetry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She knows this from experience, having cared for her mother, Matsue, who was diagnosed with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/alzheimers\">Alzheimer’s \u003c/a>in the 1990s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Panicked that she would forget how to write her own name, Matsue penned her signature again and again and again in notebooks, Kakugawa recounted to a group of older adults at a Sacramento community center last October.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the event, Kakugawa read from her poem, “Five Notebooks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Five notebooks, one hundred sheets,\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Two hundred pages, twenty two lines per page.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Twenty two thousand Matsue Kakugawa.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Twenty two thousand attempts\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>To save herself from the thief\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Who was stealing her name.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12012811\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12012811\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-6-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The poem “Mother Into Child, Child Into Mother,” which was the first poem Frances Kakugawa wrote about being her mother’s caregiver on Oct. 29, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Poetry helped Kakugawa take control of the painful experience of watching her mother’s cognitive abilities decline. With pen and paper, she transformed caregiving into something profound, while preserving her mother’s dignity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the middle of chaos, writing poetry helped me make sense of what was going on,” Kakugawa said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the decades since her mother was diagnosed, Kakugawa has continued inspiring other caregivers to write poetry. For about 20 years, she’s run a poetry group in Sacramento for caregivers. She helps caregivers write poetry during monthly sessions and during lectures on elder care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kakugawa believes caregivers need spaces to express themselves. The role is often all-consuming, leaving people isolated, exhausted and with little time to focus on themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re able to process that through poetry, and become the kind of caregiver that is needed,” Kakugawa said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.alz.org/professionals/public-health/state-overview/california\">1.4 million\u003c/a> unpaid caregivers in California are providing care for people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. And the share of older adults in the state is growing, with the Public Policy Institute of California \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/californias-aging-population/\">projecting \u003c/a>almost one-quarter of Californians to be age 65 or older by 2040. That means many more people caring for older adults may be looking for avenues to relieve stress and share their experiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Studies have documented the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7447694/\">positive impact\u003c/a> of poetry on emotional well-being, but research examining whether writing poetry helps caregivers specifically is limited. A 2011 clinical trial \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21859411/\">tested \u003c/a>the effectiveness of writing poetry for family caregivers of people with dementia. The caregivers saw a range of benefits to writing poems, like a sense of pride, catharsis and greater acceptance of their loved ones and their illnesses. .\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One example described in the trial was a woman who had been irritated by the constant laughter of her spouse. After writing a poem, “she realized that his laugh was the only sound left to her husband; suddenly, it became something to hold onto and to preserve.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Caregiver Confidential’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At his home in Sacramento, Ross Powers flipped through a manuscript of poems he wrote during Kakugawa’s poetry group. He’s calling the manuscript “Caregiver Confidential.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The poems are about caregiving for his late wife, Michela, who died in 2022. Michela had been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a condition that causes dementia and problems with movement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12012813\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12012813\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-17-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ross Powers’ home decorated with artwork made by his late wife, Michela Maiden, in Sacramento on Oct. 29, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her artwork fills the walls of his living room and her presence is everywhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He and Michela started dating in the 1980s. She was clever, funny and naturally curious, knowing the right questions to ask to keep conversations flowing. She liked to entertain those around her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Michela’s condition worsened, she lost the ability to read or write. She depended on her husband for everything.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Powers tried joining a support group, but the mood was too dark for him. Then he learned about Kakugawa’s poetry group, and that changed everything.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These were people who were willing to talk, not just in an ordinary conversation, but they were willing to try and squeeze their emotions into some other form,” Powers said. “It might be an exaggeration to say it saved my life, but it saved some part of my sanity. It gave me a place to stand.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Writing poetry helped him process this massive and confusing responsibility of caring for his wife. She needed him, and he would be there for her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Being of service to her was probably the great privilege of my life,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12040339\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12040339\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"841\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED-800x269.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED-1020x343.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED-160x54.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED-1536x517.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED-2048x689.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-DIPTYCH-1-KQED-1920x646.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Ross Powers speaks about his experience as a dementia caregiver for his late wife, Michela Maiden, at his home in Sacramento on Oct. 29, 2024. Right: Ross Powers holds a photo of his late wife, Michela Maiden, who was diagnosed with a form of dementia, at their home in Sacramento on Oct. 29, 2024. Ross Powers was his wife’s caregiver for 3 years. Ross now attends Frances Kakugawa’s poetry support group for dementia caregivers. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In his poem “Nursing,” Powers writes:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>place an arm around shoulders\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>lean close, study her eyes \u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>for signs of their meaning\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>slice, dice, crush, blend \u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>something she can swallow\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>bathe her, dress her\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>prep the meds, liquids, liquids \u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>always the liquids…\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Oh, call it nursing, so what?\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>call it care-giving or compassion\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>call it love if you want to\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Am I the caregiver or the receiver?\u003cstrong>’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Poems written by the caregivers also document a fleeting experience in time, memorializing the stories of the caregivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last fall, Brenda Sue Pignata lost her husband, Frank.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They were both math teachers. When they met, Frank was the assistant headmaster at Sacramento Country Day School, and Pignata taught in Stockton. He asked her to dance during a math conference. He loved airplanes, and on one of their first dates, he flew her around in a little airplane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During their 40-plus-year marriage, the dancing continued with disco lessons, even after the craze was popular. They lived together in the unincorporated community of Rescue, Calif., calling it their “little piece of heaven.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an interview last spring, Pignata said she began noticing signs Frank’s health was declining around 2007. Her husband had always been a gentle soul, she said, but he started becoming easily frustrated as his short-term memory declined. The family rallied around him, though “nobody ever used the word dementia, nobody ever used the word caregiver,” Pignata said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gardening and journaling became her refuge. Pignata said Frank, who needed the comfort of knowing exactly where she was, would sit on the deck of their home and watch while she gardened. He continued to write her love letters and leave little notes for her to find.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just months after her husband, Pignata, also died suddenly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Pignata’s home in Rescue, her son Mike Smith read poems his mother wrote about caregiving for the first time. He worried his mother was so consumed with Frank that she neglected herself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But writing poems about caregiving seemed to lift a weight off his mother’s shoulders. And now he has his mother’s poetry to read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is so much of her in this house. Everything I look at reminds me of her — and of him,” Smith said. “She has so much writing for me to read and learn what was going on in her mind.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pignata was working on a book, “Dancing with Mr. P: Disco to Dementia,” that her son hopes to finish someday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of Pignata’s poems is about how she grew to appreciate simple moments with Frank. It’s called “Am I the caregiver or the care receiver?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know she learned so much about caring for dementia patients, and dealing with the feelings of guilt, sadness, sorrow and grief,” Smith said. “And I guarantee you that other people are going to find that valuable. I just need to be able to get it out there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The force holding the poets together\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For Diane Woodruff, a caregiver from an earlier cohort, poetry helped express her gratitude to Kakugawa after the poetry teacher danced hula at the Alzheimer’s facility where her mother stayed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the piece, Woodruff described how Kakugawa transformed into a hula goddess.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>I learned a valuable lesson from my poetry teacher and the Hawaiian hula goddess that day \u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>It is important to continue to create fun in the darkest times and places\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Laughter is the medicine of the Gods\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>It helps us get through the toughest times \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12012810\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12012810\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241029_CAREGIVINGPOETS_GC-2-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Frances Kakugawa interacts with her mall friends at the Arden Fair in Sacramento on Oct. 29, 2024. The group walks around the mall almost daily every morning. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hearing so many poems about pain and redemption, compassion and frustration and love over the years has inspired Kakugawa, but it has also left her feeling burned out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As caregivers gradually leave the poetry group over time, she expects it to fade away on its own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Growing up in Hawaii, Kakugawa decided she was going to become a writer when she was six years old. She kept her poetry a secret for years and escaped to the outhouse to enjoy rare moments of privacy and read whatever she could find.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now she shares her poetry with strangers — everyone from caregivers to older adults she meets at a shopping mall near her Sacramento home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s working on a book called “The Outhouse Poet: Reflections of a Writer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kakugawa expects that book to be her last. She’s ready to relax — and to take care of herself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Reporter \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/hmcdede\">Holly J. McDede\u003c/a> is a writer with the Investigative Reporting Program at the \u003ca href=\"https://journalism.berkeley.edu/\">UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism\u003c/a>. She covered this story through a grant from \u003ca href=\"https://www.thescanfoundation.org/\">The SCAN Foundation\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "do-california-trump-supporters-have-buyers-remorse-not-so-far",
"title": "Do California Trump Supporters Have Buyer's Remorse? Not So Far",
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"headTitle": "Do California Trump Supporters Have Buyer’s Remorse? Not So Far | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/donald-trump\">President Donald Trump\u003c/a> has flooded the first 100 days of his second term with a flurry of executive orders. His policies have included mass federal layoffs, sweeping tariffs, an overhaul of the country’s immigration system, the elimination of DEI initiatives and efforts to curb transgender rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, Trump’s approval among all California registered voters is 30% — lower than his 39% approval in 2017 — according to a recent \u003ca href=\"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/128155g3\">poll from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mark DiCamillo, the director of the IGS poll, said Trump’s ratings are historically low. “Usually, presidents start out with a high approval because they’re in a honeymoon period. That’s not the case with Trump in California,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, many Californians remain enthusiastic about the direction of the country under Trump’s leadership. Among California Republicans, 75% approve of how the president is handling the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked how they feel about the president’s policies in his first three months, Trump voters across the state, from San Diego to Humboldt counties, told KQED they are “ecstatic,” “elated,” “thrilled” and “proud.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among the two dozen California Trump voters interviewed for this story, some were more cautious — even skeptical. Several expressed a desire for Trump to take more of a scalpel, rather than an ax, approach in his agenda.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following six voters shared how the president’s policies have impacted their lives and communities in his first 100 days.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Shannon Kessler, 56, San Luis Obispo\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“I’m really pleased with his policies and presidency. It’s what I was hoping for when I voted for him,” said Shannon Kessler, a mom to a now-graduated track and field athlete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kessler feels the country now has an administration that will stand up for girls. As a former student-athlete, she doesn’t think it’s fair for transgender athletes to compete in girls’ and women’s sports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12039094\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12039094\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-1-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-1-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-1-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-1-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-1-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-1-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shannon Kessler sits in her home in Arroyo Grande, California, on Monday, May 5, 2025. Kessler, a Trump voter in 2016 and 2024, says she’s encouraged by the president’s actions during his first 100 days in office. \u003ccite>(Julie Leopo for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In March, Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a conversation with conservative activist Charlie Kirk, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030376/newsom-splits-with-democrats-on-trans-athletes-in-sports\">called transgender participation in women’s sports\u003c/a> “deeply unfair.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I agree with him on that, but he has done nothing to change that,” Kessler, a real estate agent, said of Newsom’s comment. “He could set an example and take action to protect girls. He’s the father of girls.” She wants to see Newsom push Democratic legislators to support bills like one that would have \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-04-01/hearing-on-trans-kids-in-school-sports\">banned transgender athletes\u003c/a> from girls’ sports, locker rooms, bathrooms and dorms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a fifth-generation Californian, Kessler said she’s seen the state burden its residents with “extreme regulations” on housing and water rights. She’s glad to see Trump \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996483/never-before-seen-documents-reveal-epa-canceled-63-grants-across-california\">dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency\u003c/a> and taking power away from “out-of-control three-letter agencies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kessler is among the nearly 40% of Californians who voted for Trump. She said she’s resentful that Democratic leadership has vowed to fight the administration and doesn’t feel represented when she reads about Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta building up a war chest of taxpayer dollars to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12038732/california-sues-to-block-trump-and-rfk-jr-health-cuts-that-shuttered-sf-office\">sue the Trump administration\u003c/a> over policies like tariffs, dismantling federal agencies and withholding research grants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It offends me that they’re supposed to be my representatives,” she said. “That doesn’t represent me at all. Why do you want to fight with your government? Why don’t you just work with them?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Emma Valdez Garrison, 19, Fresno\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“As a woman who lives in California, we’ve created such a dangerous climate for young women,” said Emma Valdez Garrison, a 19-year-old political science major at California State University, Fresno. “Seeing a president and a man who’s standing up against the invasion of our country is something that I’m personally really excited to see.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Garrison supports Trump’s push for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031468/trumps-anti-dei-crackdown-targets-over-50-universities-nationwide\">colleges and universities to eliminate DEI\u003c/a> in their hiring and admissions processes. “It brings back merit-based hiring and performance-based hiring,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12032137\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12032137\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/DonaldTrumpTigerWoods-e1742423060297.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. President Donald Trump and golf legend Tiger Woods arrive for a reception honoring Black History Month in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The Black History Month celebration comes as Trump has signed a series of executive orders ending federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and cutting funding to schools and universities that do not cut DEI programs. \u003ccite>(Win McNamee/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Recently, a woman in Garrison’s sorority shared a trans visibility day post on the group’s social media page.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For a long time, as a sorority, they’ve promoted ideas that are really woke and against what the majority of the girls in the house believe,” Garrison said. “A lot of girls felt like they couldn’t say anything because federally it was accepted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But after Trump was inaugurated, Garrison said she and other women in their sorority felt emboldened to speak out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12039096\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12039096\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-8-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-8-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-8-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-8-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-8-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-8-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-8-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shannon Kessler lays out her Trump hats in her home in Arroyo Grande, California, on Monday, May 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Julie Leopo for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We finally felt confident enough to say we’re against this as a sorority,” she said. “It’s no longer going to be something that we as a sorority post or celebrate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Garrison is also relieved to see Trump targeting undocumented immigrants and issuing mass deportations. Her grandmother immigrated to the United States from Mexico when she was 21.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She did it the legal way. She did it the hard way. It cost her a lot of money. It cost her a lot of time,” Garrison said. “It was a big sacrifice for her to become a United States citizen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said her grandmother feels it’s unfair when unauthorized immigrants receive certain benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ben Pino, 55, Los Angeles County\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Ben Pino was a lifelong Democrat who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. However, after Trump’s first term, he noticed more money in his pocket and purchased a condo in 2019 that he said has nearly doubled in value.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was impressed because I’ve never seen someone take so much action in such a short amount of time and truly make a difference on my day-to-day living,” Pino said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12039370\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12039370\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/CA-TRUMP-VOTERS-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/CA-TRUMP-VOTERS-1-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/CA-TRUMP-VOTERS-1-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/CA-TRUMP-VOTERS-1-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/CA-TRUMP-VOTERS-1-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/CA-TRUMP-VOTERS-1-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/CA-TRUMP-VOTERS-1-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ben Pino in his neighborhood in Los Angeles County on May 7, 2025. \u003ccite>(Julie Leopo for LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pino voted for Trump in 2020 and again in 2024. He’s happy with the president’s policies so far this year, especially on immigration. Although he sympathizes with people coming to the U.S. in search of a better life, he thinks the Biden administration allowed too many people to enter the country illegally, leaving Trump no choice but to enforce mass deportations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My parents waited eight years to come here from Cuba,” Pino said. “They waited patiently until it was their turn, and they came with permission and they became naturalized citizens.”[aside postID=news_12038735 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/039_KQED_SanFrancisco_Coronavirus_03132020_7340_qed-1020x680.jpg']But Pino does have one criticism of Trump: his rhetoric on transgender issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He takes down the entire Republican Party that way by making us look like we’re maybe not kind to other people,” Pino said. His friend recently transitioned, and he worries that Trump is “creating a climate where [the transgender community] could be disrespected or maybe even treated unfairly or unkindly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pino endorses Trump’s executive order \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12025974/federal-officials-investigate-san-jose-state-under-trumps-order-trans-athletes\">barring transgender girls and women\u003c/a> from competing in sports that align with their gender identity. However, he disagrees with his order \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government/\">recognizing only two sexes\u003c/a>. “I don’t think that you should just throw them to the wolves and just ignore them now and pretend like they never existed,” Pino said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He views Trump more as a reality show character than a polished politician. Although he agrees with the policies, he’s a bit horrified by Trump’s delivery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even with the people that we’re deporting, I don’t want them deported because they’re different,” he said. “I want them to be deported because they came here illegally. So I just wish he’d lighten up on that stance there a little bit and not be so mean to them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Kim Durham, 68, Sacramento\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“I am glad to see the corruptness exposed,” Kim Durham said, referring to the federal agencies scaled back or gutted by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not saying [Musk’s] done a perfect job,” Durham said. She thinks DOGE will have to revisit some of their cuts and consider re-employing some workers. She believes the administration had to move quickly to make sufficient progress in four years. “Unfortunately, they’re going to have to let a lot of good people go, too, if we’re cutting back on the government.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12039089\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12039089\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-TRUMP100DAYS-10-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-TRUMP100DAYS-10-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-TRUMP100DAYS-10-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-TRUMP100DAYS-10-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-TRUMP100DAYS-10-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-TRUMP100DAYS-10-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-TRUMP100DAYS-10-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kim Durham sits outside of an apartment she rents outside of Sacramento on May 6, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In response to Musk’s efforts to slash federal staffing and budgets, protestors have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033741/protesters-swarm-tesla-showrooms-to-oppose-elon-musks-purge-of-us-government\">targeted the billionaire’s electric car company\u003c/a>, vandalizing Tesla vehicles and charging stations and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101909107/anti-musk-sentiment-boils-over-to-tesla-owners\">holding “Tesla Takedown” demonstrations\u003c/a> across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m extremely disheartened to see the level of evil that’s being generated against Elon Musk [and] the Tesla dealerships,” Durham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She added that it’s one thing to boycott a company you don’t like and another thing to involve innocent people caught in the crosshairs. “I feel for every employee that works at any of those dealerships.”[aside postID=news_12038128 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-21-1020x680.jpg']Durham’s daughter and son-in-law are both police officers, and she’s concerned by how politicized the job has become. The “defund the police” movement, in her view, has discouraged people from entering the police academy and contributed to challenges in police recruitment and retention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Defund the police has done a lot of damage here,” she said. “A police officer ought to be able to do his or her job to protect the people, regardless. It shouldn’t be such a political thing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having worked in the print and shipping industry for 25 years, Durham noted that her company purchases much of its paper and ink from overseas, including China.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a result of Trump’s tariffs, currently \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101909786/trumps-tariff-strategy-risks-long-term-damage-to-us-china-relationship\">up to 145% against China\u003c/a>, Durham’s employer is looking to adapt by purchasing from different countries or offering customers digital marketing options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Durham’s not worried. In the short term, she anticipates the tariffs will harm the business and may even reduce her income. But in the long term, she hopes they will encourage timber industries and paper mills to reopen in America — providing more jobs and bolstering the economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s gonna hurt for a bit,” Durham explained. “I’m willing to lose a little bit myself for the country that I’d like to see my little granddaughter here enjoy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cindy Cremona, 65, San Diego County\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Cindy Cremona approves of Trump’s plans to expand natural resource extraction, especially opening oil reserves to lower gas prices. However, she wants the administration to remain environmentally responsible. “You can be conservative and still care about the environment,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cremona lives in Encinitas, a coastal North County beach city in San Diego, with her dogs, horse and a rescue frog in her backyard pond. She worries that overdevelopment in the region has destroyed wildlife corridors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12039413\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12039413 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250508-Trump-100-Days-San-Diego-CC-03.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250508-Trump-100-Days-San-Diego-CC-03.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250508-Trump-100-Days-San-Diego-CC-03-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250508-Trump-100-Days-San-Diego-CC-03-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250508-Trump-100-Days-San-Diego-CC-03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250508-Trump-100-Days-San-Diego-CC-03-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250508-Trump-100-Days-San-Diego-CC-03-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cindy Cremona and her 12-year-old Andalusian horse Durango in San Marcos, California, on May 8, 2025. \u003ccite>(Carolyne Corelis/KPBS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I can’t let my dogs out in the yard alone anymore because bobcats and coyotes are jumping into yards and eating our pets,” she said. “They’re doing that because they’re being squeezed out of every last bit of open space in our residential communities. And that’s heartbreaking to me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a recruiter for life science technology companies, Cremona is concerned about the pace of Trump’s federal overhaul, especially when it comes to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030313/uc-berkeley-scientists-protest-trump-administrations-cuts-to-research-funding\">National Institutes of Health funding cuts\u003c/a>. She’s already noticed companies slowing down hiring as they wait to see how grant funding and layoffs play out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While she supports the general idea of government audits and eliminating waste, Cremona takes issue with broad changes. “Sometimes it’s not what you do, it’s how you do it,” she said. “I would have preferred a more thoughtful scalpel approach.”[aside postID=news_12038033 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-CHINATOWNTARIFFS-30-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg']Still, Cremona expects Trump’s “shock and awe” approach will include some backpedaling. “There’s a lot of hysteria about what’s been cut and how it’s gonna hurt,” she said. “I just think it’s way too early to make a judgment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She sees Trump’s handling of government as his signature businessman approach that differs from most politicians. “As a businesswoman, I appreciate that and I relate to it,” she said. “I don’t always like his particular style, though.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cremona, who is currently shopping for a new car, is considering an American-made model because of Trump’s auto tariffs, despite typically buying foreign vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She believes Trump is using tariffs to reset the economy toward self-reliance. “I think this president, if anybody, can get China to bow down,” she said. “Because China is as much of a bully as [Trump is]. He’s not afraid of China.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if the tariffs cause short-term pain, including the drop she’s noticed in her retirement savings, Cremona remains confident that they will ultimately bolster the economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m cautiously optimistic,” she said. “I’m excited, I like change. I think the country needed a little shakeup.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Emerson Green, 25, El Dorado County\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Emerson Green feels “a little let down” by Trump’s second term so far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although he initially supported Trump and Musk’s efforts to downsize the federal workforce, he “expected that a lot of that stuff would just hit a brick wall in the court system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The hiring freezes were a little bit shocking,” Green said. His mom had applied for a job with the Internal Revenue Service — a job she was excited to secure for its good pay and benefits — and received an offer letter. However, when Trump issued an across-the-board \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034478/federal-workers-fired-thousands-california-wants-hire-them\">government hiring freeze\u003c/a>, her offer was rescinded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12039098\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1489px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12039098\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250505-EMERSON-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1489\" height=\"993\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250505-EMERSON-02-BL-KQED.jpg 1489w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250505-EMERSON-02-BL-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250505-EMERSON-02-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250505-EMERSON-02-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1489px) 100vw, 1489px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Emerson Green sits during a hike in Adams Canyon, Utah, on May 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Emerson Green)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I just think that’s a really big sort of middle finger to the American working class,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Green agrees with Trump’s objective of eliminating fraud, waste and abuse in the federal government. He just wants a more nuanced approach, such as limited hiring freezes on certain branches of the IRS, where wasteful spending could be more clearly pinpointed. “A lot of these things did make sense at the time, but the way they’re being enforced just raises some eyebrows for me,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Musk’s role in the administration, Green is ambivalent but dislikes that Musk touts the need for people to work 80-hour workweeks. “The thing that really grosses me out is how the Trump administration is sort of playing along with this dialogue of reducing people to just economic units,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Until a few weeks ago, Green worked at AutoZone, where he noticed that parts imported from China were already increasing in price. Before that, he ran his own headstone company and imported much of the granite from China and India. He supports Trump’s intent behind imposing tariffs to boost American manufacturing, but worries that the sweeping policies will hurt small businesses the most.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, Green gives Trump credit for trying to address long-standing issues and doing what he promised on the campaign trail. “At the very least, what I can give kudos to Trump for is actually trying to do the things,” Green said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Green said he “somewhat regrets” voting for Trump in November, but he still wouldn’t have voted for Kamala Harris.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Knowing where things have ended up now, I probably either would’ve hesitantly voted for him or just abstained altogether,” Green said. “I think honestly, from a moral standpoint, I probably would have abstained.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Has President Donald Trump’s second term affected your life or community? KQED is continuing our reporting on how Californians are experiencing the administration’s policies. Share your story using \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SutmEdDAaQ3_y2onK16kD98WsM_H-JrsTYFxGzh7UXo/edit\">\u003cem>our form\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. You can also reach our politics team directly at \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"mailto:politics@kqed.org\">\u003cem>politics@kqed.org\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-6Em0FA1xZECy5BUiL9ZpDYksuiNmoh2TaPYkoWn-fV9wlQ/viewform?usp=preview\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "For California Trump supporters, many expressed enthusiasm for the president’s policies in his second term so far, especially his aggressive action on immigration and government spending.",
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"title": "Do California Trump Supporters Have Buyer's Remorse? Not So Far | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/donald-trump\">President Donald Trump\u003c/a> has flooded the first 100 days of his second term with a flurry of executive orders. His policies have included mass federal layoffs, sweeping tariffs, an overhaul of the country’s immigration system, the elimination of DEI initiatives and efforts to curb transgender rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, Trump’s approval among all California registered voters is 30% — lower than his 39% approval in 2017 — according to a recent \u003ca href=\"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/128155g3\">poll from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mark DiCamillo, the director of the IGS poll, said Trump’s ratings are historically low. “Usually, presidents start out with a high approval because they’re in a honeymoon period. That’s not the case with Trump in California,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, many Californians remain enthusiastic about the direction of the country under Trump’s leadership. Among California Republicans, 75% approve of how the president is handling the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked how they feel about the president’s policies in his first three months, Trump voters across the state, from San Diego to Humboldt counties, told KQED they are “ecstatic,” “elated,” “thrilled” and “proud.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among the two dozen California Trump voters interviewed for this story, some were more cautious — even skeptical. Several expressed a desire for Trump to take more of a scalpel, rather than an ax, approach in his agenda.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following six voters shared how the president’s policies have impacted their lives and communities in his first 100 days.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Shannon Kessler, 56, San Luis Obispo\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“I’m really pleased with his policies and presidency. It’s what I was hoping for when I voted for him,” said Shannon Kessler, a mom to a now-graduated track and field athlete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kessler feels the country now has an administration that will stand up for girls. As a former student-athlete, she doesn’t think it’s fair for transgender athletes to compete in girls’ and women’s sports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12039094\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12039094\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-1-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-1-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-1-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-1-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-1-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-1-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shannon Kessler sits in her home in Arroyo Grande, California, on Monday, May 5, 2025. Kessler, a Trump voter in 2016 and 2024, says she’s encouraged by the president’s actions during his first 100 days in office. \u003ccite>(Julie Leopo for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In March, Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a conversation with conservative activist Charlie Kirk, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030376/newsom-splits-with-democrats-on-trans-athletes-in-sports\">called transgender participation in women’s sports\u003c/a> “deeply unfair.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I agree with him on that, but he has done nothing to change that,” Kessler, a real estate agent, said of Newsom’s comment. “He could set an example and take action to protect girls. He’s the father of girls.” She wants to see Newsom push Democratic legislators to support bills like one that would have \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-04-01/hearing-on-trans-kids-in-school-sports\">banned transgender athletes\u003c/a> from girls’ sports, locker rooms, bathrooms and dorms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a fifth-generation Californian, Kessler said she’s seen the state burden its residents with “extreme regulations” on housing and water rights. She’s glad to see Trump \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996483/never-before-seen-documents-reveal-epa-canceled-63-grants-across-california\">dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency\u003c/a> and taking power away from “out-of-control three-letter agencies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kessler is among the nearly 40% of Californians who voted for Trump. She said she’s resentful that Democratic leadership has vowed to fight the administration and doesn’t feel represented when she reads about Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta building up a war chest of taxpayer dollars to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12038732/california-sues-to-block-trump-and-rfk-jr-health-cuts-that-shuttered-sf-office\">sue the Trump administration\u003c/a> over policies like tariffs, dismantling federal agencies and withholding research grants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It offends me that they’re supposed to be my representatives,” she said. “That doesn’t represent me at all. Why do you want to fight with your government? Why don’t you just work with them?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Emma Valdez Garrison, 19, Fresno\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“As a woman who lives in California, we’ve created such a dangerous climate for young women,” said Emma Valdez Garrison, a 19-year-old political science major at California State University, Fresno. “Seeing a president and a man who’s standing up against the invasion of our country is something that I’m personally really excited to see.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Garrison supports Trump’s push for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031468/trumps-anti-dei-crackdown-targets-over-50-universities-nationwide\">colleges and universities to eliminate DEI\u003c/a> in their hiring and admissions processes. “It brings back merit-based hiring and performance-based hiring,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12032137\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12032137\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/DonaldTrumpTigerWoods-e1742423060297.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. President Donald Trump and golf legend Tiger Woods arrive for a reception honoring Black History Month in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The Black History Month celebration comes as Trump has signed a series of executive orders ending federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and cutting funding to schools and universities that do not cut DEI programs. \u003ccite>(Win McNamee/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Recently, a woman in Garrison’s sorority shared a trans visibility day post on the group’s social media page.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For a long time, as a sorority, they’ve promoted ideas that are really woke and against what the majority of the girls in the house believe,” Garrison said. “A lot of girls felt like they couldn’t say anything because federally it was accepted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But after Trump was inaugurated, Garrison said she and other women in their sorority felt emboldened to speak out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12039096\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12039096\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-8-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-8-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-8-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-8-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-8-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-8-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TRUMPS-100-DAYS-2025-LEOPO-8-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shannon Kessler lays out her Trump hats in her home in Arroyo Grande, California, on Monday, May 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Julie Leopo for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We finally felt confident enough to say we’re against this as a sorority,” she said. “It’s no longer going to be something that we as a sorority post or celebrate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Garrison is also relieved to see Trump targeting undocumented immigrants and issuing mass deportations. Her grandmother immigrated to the United States from Mexico when she was 21.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She did it the legal way. She did it the hard way. It cost her a lot of money. It cost her a lot of time,” Garrison said. “It was a big sacrifice for her to become a United States citizen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said her grandmother feels it’s unfair when unauthorized immigrants receive certain benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ben Pino, 55, Los Angeles County\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Ben Pino was a lifelong Democrat who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. However, after Trump’s first term, he noticed more money in his pocket and purchased a condo in 2019 that he said has nearly doubled in value.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was impressed because I’ve never seen someone take so much action in such a short amount of time and truly make a difference on my day-to-day living,” Pino said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12039370\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12039370\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/CA-TRUMP-VOTERS-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/CA-TRUMP-VOTERS-1-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/CA-TRUMP-VOTERS-1-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/CA-TRUMP-VOTERS-1-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/CA-TRUMP-VOTERS-1-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/CA-TRUMP-VOTERS-1-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/CA-TRUMP-VOTERS-1-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ben Pino in his neighborhood in Los Angeles County on May 7, 2025. \u003ccite>(Julie Leopo for LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pino voted for Trump in 2020 and again in 2024. He’s happy with the president’s policies so far this year, especially on immigration. Although he sympathizes with people coming to the U.S. in search of a better life, he thinks the Biden administration allowed too many people to enter the country illegally, leaving Trump no choice but to enforce mass deportations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My parents waited eight years to come here from Cuba,” Pino said. “They waited patiently until it was their turn, and they came with permission and they became naturalized citizens.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But Pino does have one criticism of Trump: his rhetoric on transgender issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He takes down the entire Republican Party that way by making us look like we’re maybe not kind to other people,” Pino said. His friend recently transitioned, and he worries that Trump is “creating a climate where [the transgender community] could be disrespected or maybe even treated unfairly or unkindly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pino endorses Trump’s executive order \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12025974/federal-officials-investigate-san-jose-state-under-trumps-order-trans-athletes\">barring transgender girls and women\u003c/a> from competing in sports that align with their gender identity. However, he disagrees with his order \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government/\">recognizing only two sexes\u003c/a>. “I don’t think that you should just throw them to the wolves and just ignore them now and pretend like they never existed,” Pino said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He views Trump more as a reality show character than a polished politician. Although he agrees with the policies, he’s a bit horrified by Trump’s delivery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even with the people that we’re deporting, I don’t want them deported because they’re different,” he said. “I want them to be deported because they came here illegally. So I just wish he’d lighten up on that stance there a little bit and not be so mean to them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Kim Durham, 68, Sacramento\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“I am glad to see the corruptness exposed,” Kim Durham said, referring to the federal agencies scaled back or gutted by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not saying [Musk’s] done a perfect job,” Durham said. She thinks DOGE will have to revisit some of their cuts and consider re-employing some workers. She believes the administration had to move quickly to make sufficient progress in four years. “Unfortunately, they’re going to have to let a lot of good people go, too, if we’re cutting back on the government.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12039089\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12039089\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-TRUMP100DAYS-10-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-TRUMP100DAYS-10-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-TRUMP100DAYS-10-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-TRUMP100DAYS-10-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-TRUMP100DAYS-10-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-TRUMP100DAYS-10-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250506-TRUMP100DAYS-10-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kim Durham sits outside of an apartment she rents outside of Sacramento on May 6, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In response to Musk’s efforts to slash federal staffing and budgets, protestors have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033741/protesters-swarm-tesla-showrooms-to-oppose-elon-musks-purge-of-us-government\">targeted the billionaire’s electric car company\u003c/a>, vandalizing Tesla vehicles and charging stations and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101909107/anti-musk-sentiment-boils-over-to-tesla-owners\">holding “Tesla Takedown” demonstrations\u003c/a> across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m extremely disheartened to see the level of evil that’s being generated against Elon Musk [and] the Tesla dealerships,” Durham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She added that it’s one thing to boycott a company you don’t like and another thing to involve innocent people caught in the crosshairs. “I feel for every employee that works at any of those dealerships.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Durham’s daughter and son-in-law are both police officers, and she’s concerned by how politicized the job has become. The “defund the police” movement, in her view, has discouraged people from entering the police academy and contributed to challenges in police recruitment and retention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Defund the police has done a lot of damage here,” she said. “A police officer ought to be able to do his or her job to protect the people, regardless. It shouldn’t be such a political thing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having worked in the print and shipping industry for 25 years, Durham noted that her company purchases much of its paper and ink from overseas, including China.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a result of Trump’s tariffs, currently \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101909786/trumps-tariff-strategy-risks-long-term-damage-to-us-china-relationship\">up to 145% against China\u003c/a>, Durham’s employer is looking to adapt by purchasing from different countries or offering customers digital marketing options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Durham’s not worried. In the short term, she anticipates the tariffs will harm the business and may even reduce her income. But in the long term, she hopes they will encourage timber industries and paper mills to reopen in America — providing more jobs and bolstering the economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s gonna hurt for a bit,” Durham explained. “I’m willing to lose a little bit myself for the country that I’d like to see my little granddaughter here enjoy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cindy Cremona, 65, San Diego County\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Cindy Cremona approves of Trump’s plans to expand natural resource extraction, especially opening oil reserves to lower gas prices. However, she wants the administration to remain environmentally responsible. “You can be conservative and still care about the environment,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cremona lives in Encinitas, a coastal North County beach city in San Diego, with her dogs, horse and a rescue frog in her backyard pond. She worries that overdevelopment in the region has destroyed wildlife corridors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12039413\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12039413 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250508-Trump-100-Days-San-Diego-CC-03.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250508-Trump-100-Days-San-Diego-CC-03.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250508-Trump-100-Days-San-Diego-CC-03-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250508-Trump-100-Days-San-Diego-CC-03-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250508-Trump-100-Days-San-Diego-CC-03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250508-Trump-100-Days-San-Diego-CC-03-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250508-Trump-100-Days-San-Diego-CC-03-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cindy Cremona and her 12-year-old Andalusian horse Durango in San Marcos, California, on May 8, 2025. \u003ccite>(Carolyne Corelis/KPBS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I can’t let my dogs out in the yard alone anymore because bobcats and coyotes are jumping into yards and eating our pets,” she said. “They’re doing that because they’re being squeezed out of every last bit of open space in our residential communities. And that’s heartbreaking to me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a recruiter for life science technology companies, Cremona is concerned about the pace of Trump’s federal overhaul, especially when it comes to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030313/uc-berkeley-scientists-protest-trump-administrations-cuts-to-research-funding\">National Institutes of Health funding cuts\u003c/a>. She’s already noticed companies slowing down hiring as they wait to see how grant funding and layoffs play out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While she supports the general idea of government audits and eliminating waste, Cremona takes issue with broad changes. “Sometimes it’s not what you do, it’s how you do it,” she said. “I would have preferred a more thoughtful scalpel approach.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Still, Cremona expects Trump’s “shock and awe” approach will include some backpedaling. “There’s a lot of hysteria about what’s been cut and how it’s gonna hurt,” she said. “I just think it’s way too early to make a judgment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She sees Trump’s handling of government as his signature businessman approach that differs from most politicians. “As a businesswoman, I appreciate that and I relate to it,” she said. “I don’t always like his particular style, though.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cremona, who is currently shopping for a new car, is considering an American-made model because of Trump’s auto tariffs, despite typically buying foreign vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She believes Trump is using tariffs to reset the economy toward self-reliance. “I think this president, if anybody, can get China to bow down,” she said. “Because China is as much of a bully as [Trump is]. He’s not afraid of China.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if the tariffs cause short-term pain, including the drop she’s noticed in her retirement savings, Cremona remains confident that they will ultimately bolster the economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m cautiously optimistic,” she said. “I’m excited, I like change. I think the country needed a little shakeup.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Emerson Green, 25, El Dorado County\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Emerson Green feels “a little let down” by Trump’s second term so far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although he initially supported Trump and Musk’s efforts to downsize the federal workforce, he “expected that a lot of that stuff would just hit a brick wall in the court system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The hiring freezes were a little bit shocking,” Green said. His mom had applied for a job with the Internal Revenue Service — a job she was excited to secure for its good pay and benefits — and received an offer letter. However, when Trump issued an across-the-board \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034478/federal-workers-fired-thousands-california-wants-hire-them\">government hiring freeze\u003c/a>, her offer was rescinded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12039098\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1489px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12039098\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250505-EMERSON-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1489\" height=\"993\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250505-EMERSON-02-BL-KQED.jpg 1489w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250505-EMERSON-02-BL-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250505-EMERSON-02-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250505-EMERSON-02-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1489px) 100vw, 1489px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Emerson Green sits during a hike in Adams Canyon, Utah, on May 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Emerson Green)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I just think that’s a really big sort of middle finger to the American working class,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Green agrees with Trump’s objective of eliminating fraud, waste and abuse in the federal government. He just wants a more nuanced approach, such as limited hiring freezes on certain branches of the IRS, where wasteful spending could be more clearly pinpointed. “A lot of these things did make sense at the time, but the way they’re being enforced just raises some eyebrows for me,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Musk’s role in the administration, Green is ambivalent but dislikes that Musk touts the need for people to work 80-hour workweeks. “The thing that really grosses me out is how the Trump administration is sort of playing along with this dialogue of reducing people to just economic units,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Until a few weeks ago, Green worked at AutoZone, where he noticed that parts imported from China were already increasing in price. Before that, he ran his own headstone company and imported much of the granite from China and India. He supports Trump’s intent behind imposing tariffs to boost American manufacturing, but worries that the sweeping policies will hurt small businesses the most.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, Green gives Trump credit for trying to address long-standing issues and doing what he promised on the campaign trail. “At the very least, what I can give kudos to Trump for is actually trying to do the things,” Green said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Green said he “somewhat regrets” voting for Trump in November, but he still wouldn’t have voted for Kamala Harris.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Knowing where things have ended up now, I probably either would’ve hesitantly voted for him or just abstained altogether,” Green said. “I think honestly, from a moral standpoint, I probably would have abstained.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Has President Donald Trump’s second term affected your life or community? KQED is continuing our reporting on how Californians are experiencing the administration’s policies. Share your story using \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SutmEdDAaQ3_y2onK16kD98WsM_H-JrsTYFxGzh7UXo/edit\">\u003cem>our form\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. You can also reach our politics team directly at \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"mailto:politics@kqed.org\">\u003cem>politics@kqed.org\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe\n src='https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-6Em0FA1xZECy5BUiL9ZpDYksuiNmoh2TaPYkoWn-fV9wlQ/viewform?usp=preview?embedded=true'\n title='https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-6Em0FA1xZECy5BUiL9ZpDYksuiNmoh2TaPYkoWn-fV9wlQ/viewform?usp=preview'\n width='760' height='500'\n frameborder='0'\n marginheight='0' marginwidth='0'>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
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},
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"id": "baycurious",
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"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
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},
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"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
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"order": 8
},
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"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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"order": 1
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"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"source": "WNYC"
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"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
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"source": "NPR"
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"hyphenacion": {
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"jerrybrown": {
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"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"order": 18
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},
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"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
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},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
},
"requestOutcomesReducer": {
"notFound": []
}
}
