State Sen. Ron Calderon Indicted for Corruption
On Friday, federal prosecutors charged Los Angeles-area state senator Ron Calderon with 24 counts of corruption, including bribery and influence peddling. Prosecutors also filed seven counts of money laundering against Calderon's brother, Tom. The case involves two conspiracies, one involving a real hospital executive and a second involving an undercover FBI agent. We talk with Sacramento Bureau Chief Scott Detrow who has been following the story.
Feds Move to Deny Water to Some Central Valley Farms
Federal water managers have announced some Central Valley farms won?t get any water this year unless the drought lets up. It's a dramatic move, and it comes just a couple weeks after state water managers warned they won't be sending water to customers. This could mean hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland left fallow and mass unemployment in agricultural regions. We talk with Central Valley bureau chief Sasha Khokha to assess what this means going forward.
Bay Area Residents Resist Crude-by-Rail as Accidents Rise
The city of Pittsburg, 20 miles east of Oakland, is considering a new oil terminal that would supply crude to Bay Area refineries. It would bring in oil via ship, pipeline and railroad. But there have been a number of recent accidents around the United States involving rail shipments of crude oil -- and some locals are concerned about the safety of the project.
Beef Recall Puts NorCal Ranchers in a Tough Spot
After one of the biggest beef recalls in history, a Petaluma meat processor is getting bought out. Earlier this month, the USDA recalled nearly 9 million pounds of beef from Rancho Feeding Corporation. More than 1,600 food distributors in the U.S. and Canada are asking consumers to return products from beef jerky to Hot Pockets. There wasn't a lot of explanation as to why, other than to say diseased cows were processed without the requisite federal supervision. But the recall and the slaughterhouse's closure put Northern California ranchers and dairy farmers in a bind. We talk with KQED reporter Mina Kim who has been following the story.
Pop Music Review: Lo-Fang's 'Blue Film'
The album "Blue Film" sounds like the work of a mature musician, pulling together classical elements and electronica with remarkable sophistication. It's the work of a 30-year-old from Los Angeles who calls himself Lo-Fang. Pop music critic Steve Hochman has a review.