The California Report Magazine

Controversial Discipline Practices, School for Autistic Kids Post-Wildfire, A Teacher’s #MeToo Story, Sphinx Buried in Sand Dunes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 Dec 201731min

Helping the Homeless, By Living With them, A Reporter and A Politician Share Loss, Giant Tree Stump Takes the Opera Stage, Bumpass Hell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Dec 201731min

Unusual Romance Leads to Unlikely Family, Food and Family from 826 Valencia, Bringing Seniors Some Love, the OId-School Way, Gospel Quartet of Brothers Find Praise Outside the Church Walls Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

24 Nov 201731min

A Human Library, 'California Typewriter,' an Ode to Analogue, Placido Domingo’s 50-Year Run in L.A., Winery Faces Life After Fire, A Visit to Volcano, Calif. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

18 Nov 201731min

From Aptos, California to ZZYZX (Population 1), it's a weekly California road trip for your ears, and your imagination. Cattle ranching moms. Homeless college students. Young mariachis. They’re all Californians, and we’ve got their stories. Subscribe now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

17 Nov 20176min

Meet Flipper’s Ted Falconi, Vietnam Vet and Punk Rock Legend Flipper may not be the best-known band from Oakland, but after more than 40 years, it’s definitely one of punk’s most influential. It has inspired scores of musicians like Kurt Cobain and Moby. A large part of its signature sound comes from guitarist Ted Falconi, a Vietnam vet who brought the noises of war home with him. KQED’s Kevin Jones has this profile. He Served in the U.S. Military, But That Didn’t Stop His Deportation Jose Cardenas decided to enlist in the Army because his stepfather was a veteran. Cardenas’ son and grandson have kept up that family tradition of military service, but Cardenas lives in Mexico now and not by choice. He was deported. He's one of tens of thousands of veterans who've served in the U.S. military but aren't U.S. citizens. KQED’s Erika Aguilar met him in Tijuana where hundreds of deported veterans now live. What Vets Want at the End of Life Is Very Different From What Civilians Want Many veterans of the Vietnam war are now in their seventies and some are coming to the end of their lives. What soldiers, even former soldiers, want in death may be very different from what civilians want. Honor and respect can be much more important than being comfortable or free of pain. That can make vets harder to treat at the end of life, as KQED’s health reporter April Dembosky explains. Raised by the River in Forks of Salmon, California In our continuing series “A Place Called What??” about California places with peculiar names, we visit Forks of Salmon, a very tiny town in Siskyou County where two forks of the Salmon River meet. To find out more about the town, the California Report’s Bianca Taylor called up professional kayaker and filmmaker Rush Sturges, who was born and raised in the place he affectionately calls "Forks." A North Korean Refugee’s Journey to a Life in Southern California President Donald Trump’s trip to Asia this week comes at a point of extreme tension between the United States and North Korea. One sticking point has to do with North Korean refugees and Trump's executive order banning them from entering the U.S. The ban worries North Korean refugees already here. Many survived a harrowing journey, leaving friends and family behind. KCRW’s Benjamin Gottlieb tells the story of one man who escaped North Korea and made it to California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

11 Nov 201731min

Sound Guru Bernie Krause’s Beloved ‘Wild Sanctuary’ Destroyed by Fire Last month's fires in Northern California destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. But we also lost some key cultural landmarks. One of those places was an inspiration to artists, scientists and sound recordists around the world. Yet mostly unknown to its neighbors in Sonoma County's Valley of the Moon. It was home and studio of Kat and Bernie Krause. KQED Science Editor Craig Miller had visited many times before - both as a journalist and friend. After the fire, he returned, to help sort through the rubble - and record this story. Nearly 2,000 Miles From Home, A Prisoner Gets a Visit From His Mom More than a decade ago, then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in our state's prison system. That meant prison officials could do whatever it took to ease the overcrowding, including shipping thousands of inmates to other states. It was supposed to be a temporary solution. But many years later, many California prisoners are still locked up out of state. KCRW's George Lavender follows one mother on a journey to see her son, who's now two thousand miles away. Trans Singer Encounters Mother (and Bathroom Laws) on Tour in the South For more than 40 years, the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus has used its music to help create community and inspire activism. The chorus recently went on a tour of five southern states. The idea was to support local LGBTQ communities in the South. KQED Arts Reporter Chloe Veltman caught up with them on the tour bus. She tells us about one of the singers and his mom, who hadn't heard him perform since he was living as a little girl. Lost Mural with Covert Political Messages Rediscovered in Post Office Basement You may not have heard of Victor Arnautoff, but he was a Russian artist who painted murals around San Francisco in the 1930s. He started off as an assistant to Diego Rivera and became known for his work on San Francisco's Coit Tower. He also painted three murals inside California post offices, including one in the Bay Area city of Richmond. But as Eli Wirtshafter tells us, that mural disappeared for almost 40 years. Until an amateur sleuth tracked it down. Welcome to Rough and Ready, the Tiny Town That Used to Be a Republic Now for another installment of our new series, A Place Called What?!, about California towns with bizarre and surprising names. Last week we took you to Zzyzx, near Death Valley. And we asked our listeners for their ideas for weird place names. Scott Schlacter of San Jose sent us a note asking how the town of "Rough and Ready" near Grass Valley in Nevada County go its name. So KQED's Bianca Taylor called up Jayna Ashcraft, who lives in Rough and Ready. She says her small gold mining town has a big history: in 1850, it seceded from the nation, and temporarily became its own republic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4 Nov 201731min

The Water Belongs to Everyone, and This Blind Kayaker Will Prove It We start our show with a man on a mythological mission. His name is Ahmet Ustunel. He lives in San Francisco, and he has a dream. He wants to return to his homeland of Turkey and take a big journey on a tiny kayak across the Bosphorus Strait, one of the busiest shipping channels in the world. Think enormous freighters. And his little human-powered boat. But Ahmet Ustunel faces a unique challenge that will make this much harder for him. The California Report’s Laura Klivans joined him at a lake, where he’s training to make the journey. You May Have Seen This Man Zipping Around Berkeley, but Did You Know He’s the Godfather of Disability Rights? “Hale” is a new short film exploring activism around people with disabilities. It tells the story of Hale Zukas, who helped make Berkeley the birthplace of the disability rights movement. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child. He went on to study Russian and math at UC Berkeley in the 1970s and he helped found Berkeley’s groundbreaking Center for Independent Living. Filmmaker Brad Bailey made the documentary as his thesis project at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. He just picked up a Student Academy Award for the project. Oakland Dad Reunites with Family After Lengthy ICE Detention We introduced you to this family a few months ago, when they found themselves in limbo because of new immigration policies under President Trump. The father, Maguiber -- he's named after the guy in the TV show MacGyver -- is from Guatemala. He's 27, and undocumented. He was arrested by immigration agents in February, and held in a jail in the Bay Area city of Richmond. Meanwhile, his wife has been struggling to care for their three children on her own. Maguiber has no serious or violent criminal history. In the past someone like him probably would have been released within a month or two on bond. But Maguiber spent over half a year in detention, before he got his day court. KQED's Julie Small brings us this update on his story. A Day of the Dead Tradition Blooms in the Central Valley In some California communities with roots in Mexico, the last days of October are spent getting ready for Day of the Dead, and that means making altars for loved ones and covering them with marigolds. Those bright orange flowers aren’t always easy to find. The California Report's Vanessa Rancaño met a farmer who’s growing them in the Central Valley for people longing for a piece of home. Welcome to Zzyzx, California – Population: 1 A lot of us Californians like to hit the open road, explore miles of highway, or venture off into some back roads. Sometimes, we come across towns with some pretty bizarre and surprising names, from Rough and Ready to Bumpass Hell. So today we're launching a new series we’re calling "A Place Called What?!" For our first installment, we head to Zzyzx. If you’re driving on I-15 near Death Valley, you might spot the sign. You won’t find any shops or restaurants or even houses there. But you will find the Desert Studies Center, a research station operated by a consortium of seven California State Universities. Rob Fulton manages the center, and he’s the only permanent resident in Zzyzx. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

28 Okt 201731min