North Bay News

• A bill that would change when California police officers may choose to use deadly force is moving forward in the state Senate, despite opposition from law enforcement.

• Just as the Thomas Fire—the largest wildfire to burn in the California's modern history—is fully cleaned up, state agencies are preparing for the upcoming fire season.

Today's reporting by Ben Bradford and Ezra David Romero.

In Petaluma, a town known for its 150-year history of poultry farming – and more recently for its reputation as an often unforgiving foodie community where restaurants are lucky to last more than a couple of years – a husband and wife from Michoacan, Mexico have opened an oddly named barbecue chicken restaurant with two exclamation points in its name that is making its mark  – with help from the community.

Delfin Vigil reports.

• After a noisy push for single-payer health care divided California Democrats last year and spawned months of hearings and discussions, the new state budget contains little to mark that debate.

• A voter initiative that would repeal California's rent control law, and allow cities to craft their own, more expansive rent control rules, has qualified for the November ballot.

Today's reporting by Ben Bradford and Chris Nichols.

• The owner of a hardware store in Tennessee wants everyone to know that he doesn’t like gay people and that they are not welcome in his store. 

• Following this month’s Supreme Court ruling on religious freedom, the Human Rights Campaign launched a new “Open To All Campaign” for business owners to welcome LGBTQ people into their stores. 

• Locally, Pride celebrations continue with the San Francisco Pride celebration happening this weekend

Outbeat News can be heard Sunday nights at 8:00 pm as part of Outbeat Radio on KRCB FM Radio 91.

• Californian’s next budget does not include a new charge on water users to fund safe drinking water in rural communities. But that proposal is still alive.

• The California Legislature is unveiling a sweeping new overhaul of how it would investigate sexual harassment complaints against everyone from lawmakers to interns.

Today's reporting by Ben Bradford and Ben Adler.

A few weeks ago, some of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat travelled to New York City to accept the paper's award for its outstanding coverage of the North Bay wildfires. PD columnist Chris Smith visited our studio that day, and talked with Corey Hudson about the paper's pride in its achievement, and about the future of print journalism.

• The final California budget that Gov. Jerry Brown will ever sign is heading for his desk after the Legislature approved a nearly $140 billion general fund spending plan Thursday.
 

• During a visit to Sacramento on Thursday, the Prime Minster of Portugal met with Gov. Jerry Brown to sign a climate agreement. Portugal is the latest country to join Brown's Under2 Coalition.

Today's reporting by Ben Adler and Randol White.

Two local nonprofits in Sonoma County are taking part in a pilot project funded by California's Medi-Cal program. They aim to demonstrate that special meals and education provided to patients with congestive heart failure can improve patient outcomes and reduce hospitalizations and health care costs.

• The fight over whether PG&E is liable for the wine country fires is ongoing. Cal Fire blames the utility for causing at least 16 of them.

Today's reporting by Ezra David Romero.

The new Wine Spectator Learning Center is open on the Sonoma State campus in Rohnert Park. The facility aims to introduce a new generation to skills needed for the wine business, while sharpening the capabilities of those in mid-career.

• California political campaigns are preparing for the increase of the gas tax to be this year’s preeminent campaign issue, after the successful recall of a state Senator focused on it.

Today's reporting by Ben Bradford.

In the second part of our conversation with Wendy Wheelwright, she explains how the California HOPE program helps survivors and other community members heal after October's wildfires. Find more information about the program here.

Among other things, the program encourages people to

• Eat Well
• Move Daily
• Hydrate Often
• Sleep More
• Love, Laugh, and Connect.

• Educators consider chronic absenteeism a red alert – a blaring sign that a student might be academically at risk. Now, schools and parents have a new tool to investigate this critical problem.

The report uses an interactive map to pinpoint the type of schools that struggle with chronic absences.

Today's reporting by Chris Nichols.

Today, we talk with Wendy Wheelwright, project manager for a county-wide counseling initiative called HOPE – for Helping, Outreach, Possibilities, and Empowerment. It aims to help people suffering physical and mental effects of October’s fires. The counseling is free, and can be accessed anywhere.

• An openly gay former Marine won a primary in the State of Alabama for a seat in the state legislature.
 

• Last Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of Colorado baker and religious freedom may have encouraged a gym owner in Indianapolis to cancel an LGBTQ pride event. 

• Locally, a transgender woman from the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies will begin a 3 day residency at Ner Shalom talking about your journey to become her authentic self.

Outbeat News can be heard Sunday nights at 8 pm as part of Outbeat Radio on KRCB FM Radio 91.

• Among the biggest winners in the state budget deal that lawmakers will vote on this week are University of California and California State University students. Gov. Jerry Brown agreed to more money to prevent tuition increases and boost enrollment.

• There’s half a billion dollars in emergency money to help cities and counties fight homelessness in the California budget deal announced Friday by Governor Jerry Brown and state lawmakers.

Today's reporting by Ben Adler.

Thursday, a group of activists met with Sonoma County’s disaster planning team.

They presented their findings that October’s fires had uncovered severe shortcomings in the county’s communication strategy. Those who couldn’t speak English, the group says, did not have the same access to life-saving information, especially in the chaotic first moments of the fire. Those problems have continued during the recovery.

News director Steve Mencher spoke with some members of the group who will be presenting recommendations June 11 to the county Board of Supervisors.

• A California budget proposal would cut a program which provides discounts to hospitals that serve low income patients.

Today's reporting by Adhiti Bundlamudi.

• California has the highest number of LGBTQ elected officials in the country, and following last night's primary, at least ten more advance to November - or won their race outright. Three of the candidates could make history.
 

• California’s legal marijuana policies are changing. Starting today [Wednesday], businesses only need one license to sell both medical and recreational pot.

Today's reporting by Randol White and Sammy Caiola.

Thousands of Black women will march to the California Capitol in Sacramento June 9 for the second annual Black Women's March. Organizers say this march gives Black women a safe space to empower one another.

Ja'Nel Johnson reports.

• It’ll be Democrat Gavin Newsom against Republican John Cox this fall in the California governor’s race. It's the general election contest that both candidates wanted.

Find more local election results HERE.

Today's reporting by Ben Adler.

The last week of May, a milestone was reached in Coffey Park – elected officials and neighbors gathered to celebrate the completion of Dan Bradford’s home – the first to gain a certificate of occupancy in the fire-devastated area.

KRCB News Director Steve Mencher was there as the festivities got underway.

• Voters will cast ballots in national, state, and local races today, as well as on state propositions and local measures.

• Tuesday’s primary elections in California hold unusual national importance.

Today's reporting by Drew Sansor and Ben Bradford.

On what would have been Andy Lopez's 18th birthday June 2, a park opened in the Moorland neighborhood  to commemorate the thirteen-year-old shot by a sheriff's deputy in 2013. KRCB news director Steve Mencher has this audio postcard.

• A California lawmaker faces a recall election Tuesday that could strip Democrats of their supermajority in the state Legislature.

• No proposition currently in front of California voters has a stranger story than Proposition 70. It would amend the state constitution to change one vote in the Legislature next decade.

Today's reporting by Ben Adler and Ben Bradford.

• A new law signed by President Donald Trump Wednesday gives dying patients the right to request experimental drugs. Opponents say the policy gives patients false hope and interrupts the government's drug-vetting process.

Today's reporting by Sammy Caiola.

Saturday June 2 would have been the 18th birthday of Andy Lopez, who died 4 1/2 years ago in Sonoma County when a sheriff's deputy mistook his toy gun for a real one. His life and death still hang over the county today, as filmmaker Ron Rogers tells KRCB news director Steve Mencher. A park created in his honor opens Saturday.

• Families of children with disabilities say they aren’t getting the nursing care that they’re entitled to through Medi-Cal. They filed a class-action lawsuit against the state of California last week.

Today's reporting by Sammy Caiola.

Fences went up Wednesday morning on the Joe Rodota Trail between Dutton and Roseland Avenues in Santa Rosa, closing the trail to the public and blocking off an encampment of homeless men and women who were cleared from the area. 

Earlier this week we talked with residents of the trail and homeless advocates. Wednesday we followed a few of the social service providers and public safety officers working to assist and move residents.

Felicity Gasser of the Sonoma County Community Development Commission explained who was working the trail Wednesday morning.