Richard Gonzales

On California Prisons, It's The Governor Vs. The Courts

Richard Gonzales — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:50:00 +0000

California Gov. Jerry Brown is locked in a legal battle over control of his state's prison system. Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling ordering the state to drastically reduce its prisoner population. Brown claims the state has made substantial progress, but the governor has stopped short of complying fully with the court order.

There's a long history of legal wrangling over California prisons.

Stockon, California's Request For Bankruptcy Approved By Judge

Richard Gonzales — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 21:19:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel.

This week, the city of Stockton in California's Central Valley has been all over the news.

(SOUNDBITE OF NEWS MONTAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: The city of Stockton, California.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: Stockton, California.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Stockton, California, is this country's biggest city to go bankrupt.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #3: It's official.

In Bankruptcy, Stockton Must Decide Pension Issue

Richard Gonzales — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:28:00 +0000

A federal judge says Stockton, California, may continue with its bankruptcy filing. The judge ruled Monday that the city does not have to take money from its pension obligations to pay its debts. As NPR's Richard Gonzales reports, Stockton's bankruptcy could have ripple effects across the country.

How To Be The Good Guy With A Gun At School

Richard Gonzales — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:16:00 +0000

Ever since the Newtown, Ct., school shooting, there's been a raging debate over how to keep America's schoolchildren safe. National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre proposed stationing an armed guard in every school in the country. Critics said that idea was impractical and would be too expensive to carry out.

But many schools and school districts already have armed police officers. Since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, about one-third of the schools in the U.S.

Oakland To Issue IDs That Double As Debit Cards

Richard Gonzales — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:07:00 +0000

The city of Oakland, Calif., is taking a major step toward helping to bring many of its residents, especially illegal immigrants, out of the shadows.

It will issue a municipal identification card to anyone who can prove residency.

Oakland isn't the only city to issue such ID cards to illegal immigrants. New Haven, Conn., and San Francisco already do that.

The Oakland card, however, has a unique feature — it doubles as a debit card.

In Oakland's predominantly Latino Fruitvale neighborhood, a group of day laborers are gathered for their weekly meeting.

Oakland Officials Confounded By Surge In Violent Crime

Richard Gonzales — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:28:00 +0000

Oakland, Calif., is among the U.S. cities that's seen an increase in violence over the last year. The uptick in crime comes as the police department is also under pressure from a federal court to reform its ways.

After Years Of Huge Deficits, California Starts To See A Fiscal Turnaround

Richard Gonzales — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:57:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish.

Here's something we haven't bee able to report for a while: State budgets are looking better. Thanks to an improving economy, spending cuts and some tax increases, more than 33 states and the District of Columbia report their financial condition is stabilizing.

Demand High At San Francisco Firearms Show As Nation Mulls Gun Control

Richard Gonzales — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 22:21:00 +0000

Concerns about new gun control measures has many weapons flying off the shelves. At one recent gun show in San Francisco, assault rifles were in short supply even though their prices had skyrocketed.

New Logo At University Of California Causes Uproar

Richard Gonzales — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 22:25:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel.

The University of California is no stranger to protests over wars, tuition hikes, budget cuts, you name it.

School District Owes $1 Billion On $100 Million Loan

Richard Gonzales — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 21:24:00 +0000

More than 200 school districts across California are taking a second look at the high price of the debt they've taken on using risky financial arrangements. Collectively, the districts have borrowed billions in loans that defer payments for years — leaving many districts owing far more than they borrowed.

In 2010, officials at the West Contra Costa School District, just east of San Francisco, were in a bind.

California Learns From Hurricane Sandy In Northeast

Richard Gonzales — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 10:27:00 +0000

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Emergency managers around the nation have been paying close attention to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

BBQ Support: Feeding Fellow Americans After Sandy

Richard Gonzales — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 16:29:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Twelve days after Hurricane Sandy smacked the eastern seaboard and beyond, tens of thousands of people still lack basic necessities - food, water, even shelter. NPR's Richard Gonzales sent us this postcard about three men from Chicago who took it upon themselves to bring some comfort to Sandy's victims.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHATTER)

RICHARD GONZALES, BYLINE: Twenty-eight-year-old Kris Schoenberger is flipping burgers and hot dogs on a large portable drill in Howard Beach, New York.

New York's Financial Center Hard Hit By Sandy

Richard Gonzales — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 10:51:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The nor'easter also affected New York City where many residential and commercial buildings are still crippled from Sandy. Some flooded on the lower floors and many more lost power, forcing many residents and businesses to find temporary new homes.

NPR's Richard Gonzales reports.

RICHARD GONZALES, BYLINE: Before Sandy pushed the East River into the South Street Seaport, Kit White, an artist and professor, decided to ride out the storm in his three story brick building on Front Street.

Race For Redrawn Calif. District Is Tight And Pricey

Richard Gonzales — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 09:17:00 +0000

Dan Lungren has been in and out of public office since 1979. The Republican represented a Southern California district in the '80s, served as the state's attorney general for eight years, and then returned to Congress to represent the Sacramento area in 2004.

These days, he's still the same pro-business, limited-government conservative he's always been, Lungren told a friendly audience in the Sacramento suburb of Rancho Cordova.

"There's a reason people are leaving California [and] going to Texas, leaving California [and] going to Nevada, and it's not for the weather," he told the crowd.

Calif. Death Penalty Opposition Focuses On Economy

Richard Gonzales — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 11:05:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

Here in California, voters will soon decide the fate of hundreds of condemned killers sitting on Death Row.

INSKEEP: A ballot measure would abolish the death penalty in favor of life sentences without parole.

MONTAGNE: California has a long and complicated history with the death penalty.