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SoCal Matters

Why California Keeps Putting Homes Where Fires Burn

Season 2025 Episode 287

As wildfires devastate communities, California faces tough choices on rebuilding. Nearly half of new homes in recent decades were built in fire-prone areas. Despite calls for stricter regulations, development continues, fueling debates over safety and housing policy.

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Season
Declining Enrollment Leads to CA School Closures
1:55
Budget cuts and low enrollment pushes California school closures, especially in low-income areas.
K-12 Test Scores Inch Upward, but Are Still Below Pre-Pandemic Levels
2:00
California K-12 students show gains in math and English, but scores remain below pre-pandemic levels
How Trump Administration's Tariffs Could Raise Costs in CA
2:00
Proposed tariffs on imports from Mexico and China could raise costs and affect California’s economy.
California's NIL Push Faces Setbacks
2:00
Efforts to advance student-athlete NIL rights in California face setbacks despite past progress.
Prop 36 Post-Election: Justice Reform Reversed with Stricter Penalties
1:50
Prop 36 imposes stricter penalties on repeat drug offenders, raising concerns over incarceration.
Uncertainty Grips Migrants as a Second Trump Administration Approaches
1:45
Fear and uncertainty grip migrants as U.S. border policies prepare for stricter enforcement.
CA to Ramp Up Electric Motorcycle Sales
1:55
California plans new rules to boost zero-emission motorcycle sales.
Can Inside Safe Solve L.A.’s Homelessness Crisis?
1:59
Inside Safe moves unhoused Angelenos from streets to hotels, aiming for permanent housing.
Homelessness Nonprofits Struggle as Government Payments Lag
2:00
Late government payments force nonprofits to cut services and take out high-interest loans.
Kaiser Mental Health Workers in SoCal Strike
1:55
SoCal Kaiser Mental Health workers strike, demanding higher wages, more time, and better pensions.
Prop 1 To Fund Billions for Mental Health Housing and Treatment
2:00
Prop 1 funds billions for housing and treatment for Californians with mental illness.
What To Know About Prop 36
1:20
Prop 36 would undo some aspects of Prop 47 by reinstating harsher penalties for theft and drug crime
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California News
She Left Her Abuser. Now the Shelter That Helped Her Is Losing Federal Funds Under Trump
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California nonprofits that provide lifelines to crime victims have lost millions of dollars in federal grants.
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New California tool ranks extreme heat danger by neighborhood. Here's how it works
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It’s going to be hot this summer. And a new tool can help you figure out the risk that the temperature can pose to your health.
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From save our state to sanctuary, California’s immigration views have shifted dramatically
From save our state to sanctuary, California’s immigration views have shifted dramatically
California voted to bar immigrants from schools and social services in 1994. Now most Californians see immigrants as a benefit to the state.
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Federal Proposals Threaten Provider Taxes, Key Source of Medicaid Funding for States - KFF Health News
Federal Proposals Threaten Provider Taxes, Key Source of Medicaid Funding for States - KFF Health News
Republican proposals to tighten the use of special taxes to fund Medicaid programs could deprive states of billions of dollars for safety net health care. In California, any such limit would come on top of Medicaid cuts proposed by California Democrats in response to a $12 billion state deficit.
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