• The Case for Prop 36
    Sep 26 2024
    Despite opposition from Governor Newsom and others, a majority of voters support Prop 36. To hear the case for Prop 36, KCBS insider Doug Sovern spoke with Napa County DA Allison Haley.
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    8 mins
  • The problem with Prop 36
    Sep 25 2024
    Californians seem poised to approve sweeping reforms to get tougher on crime, even though overall crime is falling The latest polls show overwhelming support for Proposition 36, which would roll back some of the reforms voters approved ten years ago in Prop 47 Prop 36 is the most important issue on the November ballot, according to surveys of voters, and roughly 70% of them say they will vote for it. It would reclassify some of those lower level property crimes and drug possession offenses, so that prosecutors could treat them as felonies instead of misdemeanors. It would also mandate drug treatment instead of prison for people caught in possession of fentanyl, heroin, meth and some other drugs. The measure would also allow for longer prison time for a third conviction for shoplifting or burglary, or if three or more people commit the crime together, as in a retail smash-and-grab crime spree. Tomorrow’s program will explore the arguments in favor of Proposition 36 with Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley, who supports it. For the opposing view, KCBS political reporter Doug Sovern, along with KCBS Radio news anchors Bret Burkhart and Patti Reising, spoke with John Vasquez, Policy & Legal Services Manager for CURYJ, which stands for Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice.
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    9 mins
  • Bill would automatically register eligible CA voters seeking IDs
    Sep 24 2024
    Governor Newsom is still plowing through hundreds of bills on his desk, one of which would change how California registers people to vote. Voter turnout will be key to this November’s election, and this bill is designed to bring more Californians into the electorate. The measure is Senate Bill 299, and it would update California’s “motor voter” registration law. Right now, anyone who gets a driver’s license or state ID is automatically registered to vote too, as long as they indicate that they are eligible to vote. This new bill, if Governor Newsom signs it into law, would allow the Secretary of State, working with the DMV, to “pre-approve” applicants, streamlining the voter registration process. For more, KCBS Radio anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart, along with KCBS Insider Doug Sovern, were joined by Christopher Wilson, vice president of operations at the social justice political advocacy organization PowerPAC, and a member of the California Grassroots Democracy Coalition. This is the State of California.
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    8 mins
  • CA sues ExxonMobil for lying about plastic being recyclable
    Sep 23 2024

    California is suing ExxonMobil, a first-in-the-nation case accusing the oil giant of tricking consumers into thinking their plastic products are recyclable.

    It’s a landmark case, filed by the state of California with a simultaneous action brought by four major Bay Area environmental groups. The lawsuit claims that ExxonMobil, the world’s largest producer of the polymers that are used to make single-use plastic, has for decades misled consumers by promoting the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol and implying that most of the plastics that bear that symbol can be recycled, when in fact only about 5% really are. Attorney General Rob Bonta says ExxonMobil produces the largest amount of plastic waste, which is fouling oceans and beaches and is turning up in human bloodstreams through microplastic particles that we inhale and ingest. KCBS has asked ExxonMobil for comment on the suit but we have not yet heard back.

    For more on this, KCBS Radio anchor Holly Quan and KCBS Insider Doug Sovern were joined by Professor Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program at Berkeley Law School’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment. He leads the Climate Change and Business Research Initiative at both Berkeley and UCLA Schools of Law. This is The State of California.

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    8 mins
  • SF Symphony chorus on strike, cancelling concerts, amidst financial troubles
    Sep 20 2024

    Good afternoon, this is “The State, Of California,” Doug Sovern is away. Yesterday afternoon the SF Symphony took a turn with more than 150 musicians and patrons joining together to unite in a strike by the Sympony chorus against the Symphony.

    Music Director and Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen's opening show in his final season was canceled just hours before the show started, indicating a strike with signs reading "No contract - No chrous."

    For a closer look, KCBS Radio's Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart were joined by Joshua Kosman, Former Classical Music Critic from the San Francisco Chronicle.

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    9 mins
  • Republican ticket is still in a pickle over their immigrant misinformation
    Sep 19 2024

    Donald Trump and JD Vance have doubled down on their explosive and unfounded claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are eating pets.

    For more on this, KCBS Insider Doug Sovern and KCBS Radio anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart were joined by Adriel Orozco, senior policy counsel at the American Immigration Council, a nonprofit that works to improve U.S. immigration policy.

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    8 mins
  • Is the Trump-Vance ticket at risk of losing undecided voters over immigration?
    Sep 18 2024

    There’s renewed focus on immigration as a presidential campaign issue, as Donald Trump and JD Vance continue to insist Haitian migrants are eating people’s pets in Ohio. What is really behind the GOP ticket’s continued emphasis on a rumor that has already been debunked?

    Border security is certainly a core issue for the Republican candidates, and a perceived vulnerability for the the Democrats. The latest polling shows most voters agree with Donald Trump that the country should deport undocumented immigrants, and they think Trump will be stronger on immigration issues than Harris.

    For more, KCBS Political Reporter Doug Sovern, along with KCBS Radio news anchors Bret Burkhart and Patti Reising, spoke with Anna Sampaio, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies and Political Science at Santa Clara University.

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    10 mins
  • SFFD clashes with mayor's office over pensions
    Sep 17 2024

    The fight over a ballot measure to help firefighters heats up in San Francisco.

    But there’s a lot more to this one than meets the eye, affecting multiple layers of the City’s always complicated politics.

    We are talking about Proposition H, on the November ballot, which would allow San Francisco firefighters to retire with their full pension at age 55 instead of 58. The firefighters’ union says too many of them are developing cancer from decades of on-the-job exposure, and allowing them to retire three years sooner will reduce that risk and save lives.

    Sounds straightforward enough, and most voters will probably be sympathetic enough to a campaign featuring heroic firefighters getting cancer. But the city controller and Mayor London Breed say lowering the retirement age will cost the City many millions of dollars a year in additional pension costs, and that will balloon over time, and cash-strapped San Francisco just can’t afford that. So the firefighters union is going all out on this one, dropping its past support of Mayor Breed, and launching a $1.2 million dollar local ad buy today, which we were able to report exclusively on KCBS.

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    8 mins