The California Report Magazine

Connecting With My Father, and My Heritage, in Mandarin Many children of immigrants grow up hearing a language at home that they never fully learn to speak. For second generation kids in the US, the top three heritage languages are Spanish, Chinese and Tagalog. Mandarin Chinese is the native language of reporter Anna Zou. But up until a few months ago, she could barely speak it. Central Valley Father and Daughter Train Together For National Boxing Championship In the rural Central Valley of Avenal, Shavana Trejo is getting national attention for her amateur boxing. It’s a sport she learned from her father, a single dad of eight children, who’s also her coach. As Alice Daniel reports, boxing has helped both father and daughter navigate tough times outside the ring. Dancing With My Daughter at the Prison Parenting Prom Derrell “Sadiq” Davis doesn’t get to see his daughter that often. He’s incarcerated at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center,where visits and phone calls are monitored and brief. But last year, the prison held a prom for fathers and their daughters, and Sadiq got to spend a day with his daughter, Anaya. As part of the podcast Uncuffed, made by radio producers who are incarcerated, Sadiq wrote a letter to Anaya reflecting on that special day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week marks the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It’s a somber anniversary that many Ukrainians here in California are commemorating. In fact, Silicon Valley is home to a large Ukrainian diaspora – many immigrants from Ukraine have come to work in the tech industry as engineers. Some of them have been using their tech skills to bolster the effort to defend Ukraine, and this army of engineers, coders, hackers, and tinkerers has become a vital part of the country’s resistance against Russian aggression. It’s a story that Bay Area investigative journalist Erica Hellerstein stumbled upon when she took a trip to Kyiv to work on a project about her own family’s Ukrainian roots. As she discovered, some believe Ukraine’s tech sector and its connection to Silicon Valley is part of the reason Ukraine is still standing today. This week, we’re sharing an excerpt of an episode Hellerstein reported for the KQED podcast Close All Tabs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When most of us head to the airport, it’s to fly out and leave. But some people go to the airport to stay, sometimes for months on end. People experiencing homelessness have had a presence at the airport since at least 2018, but airport officials say their number has grown. The San Francisco Police Department says it encounters about 35 unhoused people at the airport every day. But helping them find other places to live is complicated. Reporter Erin Bump introduces us to some people at SFO who help them with shelter, food and medical care, and are sometimes just there to listen . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This weekend marks one year since the deadly Eaton Fire was contained. From the moment the fire first broke out, reporter Steven Cuevas began talking to his neighbors, to business owners, and other people who make up the fabric of this vibrant community, and we’ve featured those stories on our show ever since. Host Sasha Khokha joins Steven as they revisit some of those neighbors, including a 94-year-old therapist whose home was saved by her sons, a renter who lost her home of 15 years, and an artist who is working on a community art project as she waits for the right time to rebuild. Despite the devastation, for some people, the fire brought about a stronger sense of connection to the place they call home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco Airport’s Fear of Flying Clinic Welcomes Nervous Passengers Aboard If your stomach drops at the thought of getting on an airplane, you’re not alone. Millions of Americans share a fear of flying. Some psychologists say the way through it is to rewire the brain, by gradually facing the very thing that feels dangerous. But you can’t just hop on a plane whenever you want to practice. That’s where a Bay Area program hosted at San Francisco International Airport can help. For nearly 50 years, they’ve been helping uneasy travelers get back in the air. Reporter Evan Roberts brings us the story from five miles up. San José’s Batman, Fighting for the Unhoused, Is the Real Life Superhero ‘We Need’ If you happen to be in downtown San José at night, you might spot a man in a mask, wearing a black and purple cape and toting a cart full of supplies.. This is the Batman of San José — a volunteer who has spent nearly eight years walking the city at night to help unhoused residents. He’s a far cry from the vigilantes of comic books. He isn’t swooping from rooftops, seeking revenge or delivering justice through fists. His superpower is noticing people who feel ignored, and offering them food, first aid supplies, and sometimes, being someone they can confide in. KQED’s Srishti Prabha brings us his story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Luis Rodriguez credits reading and writing for keeping him resilient his whole life. He’s best known for his 1993 memoir Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A., which chronicles how he joined a gang at age 11, found himself homeless and using heroin, and wound up in the juvenile justice system. He went on to write 17 books of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, and he served as poet laureate of Los Angeles from 2014 to 2017. As part of our series on resilience, host Sasha Khokha sits down with Luis Rodriguez to talk about his life and work, and what advice he has for getting through tumultuous times. This episode first aired on July 25, 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices