Madame Speaker

San Francisco democrat Nancy Pelosi is currently serving her first term as speaker of the house -- the first Californian and first woman to ever hold that job. We talk with author Marc Sandalow about his new biography of Nancy Pelosi which traces her rise to power, starting from her birth into a political family in Maryland.

The New Latino Face of the U.S. Catholic Church

Politics and religion will likely converge next week when Pope Benedict arrives in the United States. Although he won't be visiting California, the Pope may be reminded during his visit that the church's center of gravity in the U.S. is shifting towards the Golden State. One reason for that shift has to do with an unprecedented exodus of parishioners over the past few years -- an exodus that's created a gap being filled by Latino immigrants. Reporter: Rob Schmitz

Chicano Art Exhibition in Los Angeles

A new major exhibition of Chicano art opened at the L.A. County Museum of Art this week. Three years in the making, the show explores how a branch of art produced by Mexican-American activists 40 years ago has inspired a new generation of art school-educated Latino artists. Reporter: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez

• More: Phantom Sightings: Art After the Chicano Movement (at LACMA.org)

Saving the Sierra

Some of California's best known and most loved recreational areas are in the Sierra Nevada. Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe alone are destinations for millions of visitors each year. The Sierra is also home to some two million residents, and that number is expected to triple in coming decades. There's plenty of disagreement between developers, residents, environmentalists and small business owners about what the Sierra should look like in the future. That conflict -- and efforts to resolve it -- is the subject of "Saving the Sierra," a documentary airing this month on public radio stations throughout California. Guests: Catherine Stifter, producer of "Saving the Sierra"; jesikah maria ross [sic], producer of "Saving the Sierra".

• More: SavingTheSierra.org