The California Report: Ten Years of The California Report

Ten Years of The California Report:
Ten Years Later

It's never a slow news day in California. If you were listening to the first edition of The California Report on October 2, 1995, you heard stories and analysis on: President Clinton authorizing an eleventh-hour bailout of Los Angeles County Hospitals, the impact of the O.J. Simpson verdict, and the first anniversary of "Operation Gatekeeper." Our first broadcast also featured an audio postcard tour of the Golden State.

Now, to celebrate a decade of covering California, we're looking back at four stories from our first year and producing a report updating the original story. We'll find out how much has -- or hasn't -- changed in the past ten years.

Proposition 187 and Immigrant Rights

Listen - original (Nov 21, 1995)

Listen - update (Oct 7, 2005)
In 1994, voters in California overwhelmingly approved Proposition 187, a measure intended to prevent undocumented immigrants from receiving health care and social welfare services. The following year, however, a federal district judge in Los Angeles ruled major portions of the measure unconstitutional. "Prop 187" sparked a debate among Californians about immigrant rights -- a debate that remains largely unresolved today.

The Internet, Past and Future

Listen - original (Mar 4, 1996)

Listen - update (Oct 14, 2005)
The organizers of NetDay 96 described their massive volunteer effort as a "high-tech barn raising." The idea was for thousands of volunteers to wire classrooms throughout California for connections to the internet. Now, ten years and one dot-com bust later, the Internet continues to thrive and evolve -- and California innovators continue to play a key role. In our update, Salon.com writer Andrew Leonard, who has been writing about the Internet since 1993, talks about how the Internet has changed and where it's headed.

Watsonville and the California Economy

Listen - original (Feb 16, 1996)

Listen - update (Oct 21, 2005)
In early 1996, the town of Watsonville lost a major employer. The Norcal-Crosetti plant officially closed its doors, transferring some frozen food packers to another plant and leaving other employees wondering about their future. Reporter Peter Jon Shuler revisits the story and finds the region's economy is more complicated than a single plant closing.

Last-Minute Health Care Bailout

Listen - original (Oct 2, 1995)

Listen - update (Oct 28, 2005)
President Clinton averts a health care disaster in Los Angeles County with an eleventh-hour bailout, preventing closure of county hospitals, but facilities still face severe cutbacks and curtailment of services as the county attempts to regain its financial footing. Daniel Hinderfeld reports.


		The California Report is KQED's statewide radio news program, providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions affecting California and its diverse population.