KPBS

Wildfires have gone from being a seasonal occurrence to a constant risk across California, and are becoming larger and more unpredictable amid the worsening impacts of climate change. This change was exemplified by devastating wildfires that burned across the Los Angeles area last January. California is also coming off a poor winter, marked by a lack of snowfall. U.S. Forest Service Meteorologist Julia Ruthford noted the statewide snowpack is at just 14% of average, with the northern and central Sierra sitting at just 6% and 15% of normal, respectively. Read more at kpbs.org 📝Sarit Laschinsky and Andrew Garcia / @capradio 📷Courtesy of Cal Fire

Travel to all five cities of @RoadshowPBS Season 30 Tour for never-before-seen appraisals! “Junk in the Trunk 15” premieres Monday, May 18 on KPBS TV and KPBS+! #AntiquesRoadshow

In the '90s, Brandon Turner was a skateboarding prodigy, landing major sponsorships and touring the world with big-name skate teams. What looked like momentum from the outside often meant constant motion, pressure and independence arriving long before most people reach adulthood. And he ended up in prison. In this episode, he revisits that period and the skateboarding culture around him during his rise, from the energy of the scene to the decisions he made as things moved quickly. Today, not only does he operate his own addiction recovery center — he's skating better than he ever has before. He reflects on the highs and the dark moments that followed and how those years shaped his sense of identity and his approach to responsibility and control. "Skateboarding is just like life. It's not if you will fall, it's when you'll fall. But the more important thing of it is what you're going to do when you pick yourself back up," Brandon said. He also shares what it means to learn through experience, how to foster that evolution in other people — and how his perspective continues to shift. It's a conversation about growth, accountability and moving forward when life doesn't follow a straight path. Listen to the "The Finest" at kpbs.org/thefinest 📝@juliadixonevans , @anthony_wallace 📷Courtesy of @bturner_

Living abroad or serving overseas? You can still vote in California 🗳️🌍 If your primary residence is in California, registering to vote is simple — and even if you’re overseas, in the military or haven’t lived in the U.S. recently, there are still ways to cast your ballot. 📅 The deadline to register to vote for California’s 2026 primary election is May 18. More info at: KPBS Voter Hub: kpbs.org/voterhub FVAP: fvap.gov 📝 📸 @leslie_gonzalez_writer

ICYMI on KPBS: ▶️ 65 cats flown to Texas shelter as mass animal rescue in Julian continues ▶️ La Mesa City Council green-lights e-bike ordinance ▶️ Money for clean drinking water threatened by Newsom administration’s climate overhaul ▶️ California governor debate: Rivals gang up on Democratic frontrunner Becerra ▶️ Ban cell phones in all K-12 schools? Not so fast, say school officials All this and more on kpbs.org

Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday announced new steps in the Trump administration's initiative to root out fraud in federal health programs, including a $1.3 billion deferral in Medicaid funding to California. “How long are people going to pay into programs if they know that that money doesn’t go to a low-income kid who needs healthcare, but that money goes into a fraudster getting rich?” Vance said during an event at the White House, adding that taxpayers and program beneficiaries are victimized by such fraud. The Republican administration also is imposing a six-month freeze on some new Medicare enrollments and warning states to investigate Medicaid fraud or risk losing funding, officials said. The moves are part of Vance’s anti-fraud task force, which has been taking more aggressive steps to investigate states before the November elections. The panel set up by President Donald Trump seeks to crack down on potential misuse of public money. Vance, a potential 2028 White House hopeful, has used the high-profile assignment from Trump to remind Americans struggling with high costs that he is trying to claw back taxpayer dollars. Vance has promoted the task force’s work during campaign stops for Republican candidates and is expected to focus on the effort Thursday in Maine, which has closely watched primary races scheduled for June 9. Read the rest of the story at kpbs.org 📝 Ali Swenson and Michelle L. Price / @apnews 📷Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press

For the second year in a row, the city of San Diego faces a multimillion dollar budget deficit — $118 million to be exact. To balance the budget, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is proposing a series of cuts to arts and culture grants, libraries, parks and recreation, among other things. “These are painful choices, and they are not a reflection of diminished commitment to those services,” Gloria said in the proposal. “They are the result of a structural imbalance that requires the city to live within its means while protecting the functions that are most essential to safety, shelter, and basic quality of life.” In order to illustrate what it will take for the city to “live within its means” we’ve created a simple budget challenge. This challenge takes suggestions from the budget proposal and San Diegans, allowing players to pick and choose new expenses, cut costs and raise revenues. Each line item has a real world value and was fact-checked and verified against the proposed budget and last year’s spending plan. Keep in mind that these items are a snapshot of a very large and complex budget. Play our Budget Challenge at kpbs.org/budgetchallenge and see if you can fix the shortfall. When you’re done take a screenshot and share it with friends and family. Don’t forget to tag @kpbs ! 📝📷@emmy.on.air , @jakegotta , @brendentuccinardi

Timothy Kelley is the founder of the Brawley Community Foundation. He said it was created to improve downtown Brawley by investing in old buildings, improving them and using the money to buy up other properties — a common strategy among community development nonprofits. But the Brawley Community Foundation has invested in more than just downtown buildings. The nonprofit, a KPBS investigation found, is also the owner of the Imperial Regional Detention Facility, one of eight immigrant jails that U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement operates in California. The detention center is located near the city of Calexico, 20 miles south of Brawley. For over a decade, the foundation has been deeply involved in its operations, according to hundreds of pages of tax records and other documents obtained by KPBS through public records requests. The foundation has used its nonprofit status to secure at least $6 million in special property tax breaks on the detention center since 2016, public tax records show. These are benefits typically reserved for charities, hospitals, scientific institutions and faith organizations. Most of the foundation’s roughly $40 million in annual revenue comes from “detention center fees” paid by ICE and Management and Training Corporation (MTC), the Utah-based contractor that runs the facility. That’s according to Kelley and a 2018 audit filed with the California attorney general’s office. Read the rest of the story at kpbs.org 📝📷@korisuzukiphoto

The city of San Diego broke ground Thursday on a new library in the Oak Park neighborhood. The new branch is being built at the northern edge of Chollas Park. Community members said the existing branch is well-loved but outdated. The building is more than 50 years old. “They just don’t have the space to include everything that they want to do and all the people that want to come,” said Rebecca Mezzocchi, who lives near Chollas Park. Plans for the new branch began in 2016 when the Friends of Oak Park Library and Community Council started a grassroots campaign. “We have worked so much for this,” said Elida Chavez, the president of the Friends of the Oak Park Library. The community has been very supportive of their efforts, Chavez said. “Without each other, this would not happen because they continually call me at wee hours of the night, ‘Did you do this? Did you do that?’,” she said. San Diego City Councilmember Henry Foster III recognized the community’s hard work that went into making the new library a reality. “They were there lock and step every step of the way,” he said. “And so my heart is full. I am so excited, so happy for the community and just happy for our youth.” Read the rest of the story at kpbs.org 📝📷@alexnsandiego

We're nearing the beginning of summer ...! That means some fun events are coming up in San Diego County. Find more events at kpbs.org/events

The superintendent of Albert Einstein Academies is “on inactive status until further notice.” That’s according to a letter board president Maria Ortega sent to families and staff on Tuesday. The Albert Einstein Academies include an elementary school in South Park and a middle school in Grant Hill. David Sciarretta became superintendent in 2017 after serving as Einstein’s executive director and middle school principal, according to his LinkedIn profile. Ortega wrote that the board could not provide further detail because of its legal obligation to protect employees’ privacy. “Nevertheless, the Board would like to assure AEA stakeholders that Board actions are guided first and foremost by what is lawful and in the best interests of the School, its students, and stakeholders,” she wrote. In March, Voice of San Diego reported that the board was investigating Sciarretta’s school-issued credit card spending. Late last year, families and staff questioned the firing of longtime elementary school principal Greta Bouterse. Parents have also had concerns about the charter schools’ German language program, Voice of San Diego reported. The San Diego Unified School District, which authorizes its charter, has found problems with both its English language learner instruction and English/German language immersion program. Read the rest of the story at kpbs.org 📝Katie Anastas

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday proposed a revised budget proposal without a deficit for his last year of office and the next, laying out a $350 billion spending plan that includes little new spending but also avoids major cuts. Newsom is eager to safeguard programs that have defined his tenure as the leader of the nation’s most populous state and one of the world’s largest economies. As he gears up for a possible presidential run in 2028, Newsom is promoting the budget as fiscally responsible because it protects California's progressive programs but also builds up the state's rainy day funds, a pointed rebuke to critics who say the state spends more than it has. The state’s spending has grown more than $100 billion since 2020, according to the legislative budget analysts. “We’re cutting deficits. But we’re not cutting corners,” Newsom said. Newsom can’t seek a third term and will leave office in January. Revenues, driven mostly by the booming stock market and artificial intelligence industry, are $16.5 billion higher than projections in January, according to Newsom's office. That will help the state avoid a $2.9 billion deficit Newsom projected in January, guarantee no budget hole next year and cut the shortfall the following year in half, his office said. Read the rest of the story at kpbs.org 📝Trân Nguyễn / @apnews 📷Jeff Chiu / Associated Press