Fresno

A ground-level view of field workers picking watermelons in a green field filled with vines behind a tractor pulling a conveyor belt.

Economy

How fear of Trump’s immigration blitz is changing life in California farm towns

Tax receipts are down almost 30% in one California farm town, where immigrants are afraid to go out and some longtime workers are weighing self-deportation during the second Trump administration.

By

Nigel Duara

• November 24, 2025

A person wearing a dark police uniform with gold stars on the collar stands outdoors, looking serious and focused. The background is softly blurred with natural light filtering through trees.

Justice

California sheriffs and DAs are getting a rare political perk — 6-year terms

The San Mateo County sheriff is in hot water and facing removal. If she hangs on, she'll benefit from a little-noticed California law that changed the dates of local elections.

By

Nigel Duara

• October 8, 2025

Justice

California law forbids ICE from making arrests at courthouses. Officers are showing up anyway

A California law bans immigration enforcement at courthouses. ICE under the Trump administration is detaining people there, anyway, arguing it's a safe place to apprehend someone.

By

Nigel Duara

• September 23, 2025

Three individuals sit around a table with microphones and laptops inside a professional radio studio labeled “KQED.” The scene is viewed through a soundproof window from an adjacent room. One person gestures while speaking, and the others listen attentively under soft studio lighting.

Politics

California’s NPR and PBS stations will cut staff and programs after funding slashed

Small NPR and PBS stations in California are teetering after Congress pulled funding from public broadcasting. Even big stations are bracing for cuts.

By

Maya C. Miller

and

Cayla Mihalovich

• July 25, 2025

A group of young children sit in a canoe and paddle down a stream on a river in the middle of a sunny day. Down the river in the background is a group of more children paddling in their canoes.

K-12 Education

Their families keep California farms running. Trump cuts just stripped a ‘lifeline’ from them

Migrant Education programs serve students whose parents work in California’s agricultural fields, dairies, fisheries and timberlands.

By

Carolyn Jones

• July 23, 2025

A group of people stand in a line near a white Border Patrol truck in a desert area, with a Border Patrol agent addressing them. In the background, portable toilets, fencing, and a hilly landscape are visible under a clear blue sky.

Justice

Judge restricts Border Patrol in California: ‘You just can’t walk up to people with brown skin’

'You just can’t walk up to people with brown skin and say give me your papers,' a federal judge told Border Patrol attorneys at a hearing challenging recent immigration sweeps.

By

Sergio Olmos

and

Wendy Fry

• April 29, 2025

A man with a short white beard and wearing a beige jacket sits inside a courtroom while they look down at their hands.

Homelessness

What happens after a homeless person is arrested for camping? Often, not much

Wickey Two Hands was supposed to be the first person tried for camping in Fresno. Instead, after the city and county poured resources into his case, it was dismissed at the last minute.

By

Marisa Kendall

• April 18, 2025

Justice

Border Patrol to retrain hundreds of California agents on how to comply with the Constitution

After controversial sweeps in Kern County and a CalMatters investigation, the federal government will train agents on when they can stop and arrest people.

By

Wendy Fry

and

Sergio Olmos

• April 10, 2025

A uniformed U.S. Border Patrol agent sits in an office during an interview, speaking and gesturing with one hand. The nameplate on the uniform reads "G. Bovino." The background shows office furniture and a window with blinds partially open.

Economy

Border Patrol said it targeted known criminals in Kern County. But it had no record on 77 of 78 arrestees

Contrary to its public narrative, the agency cast a wide net in its California immigration raid, setting the stage for a legal battle over how the government carries out mass deportations.

By

Sergio Olmos

and

Wendy Fry

• April 8, 2025

A view of a person's back as they walk along a walkway through a parking lot. In the background is a white building surrounded by a chain-linked fence with barbed wire.

Justice

Raid or rumor? Reports of immigrations sweeps are warping life in California’s Central Valley

Rumors of immigration raids are changing life from Modesto to Bakersfield, with attendance down in the Fresno Diocese and some families afraid to go outside.

By

Nigel Duara

• March 31, 2025