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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Cal Fire has arrested a suspect accused of recklessly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092748/dove-fire-burns-224-acres-70-miles-west-of-yosemite\">causing the Dove Fire\u003c/a> near Yosemite National Park, the agency announced Monday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jacob Williams Hoskins, 30, of Sonora, was arrested Sunday in Tuolumne County, about 60 miles east of Stockton, after he was linked to the vegetation fire that burned 225 acres over the weekend. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Dove Fire broke out just before 3 p.m. Sunday southwest of Sonora, prompting evacuations and road closures. Crews were able to halt forward spread Sunday afternoon, and as of Tuesday morning, the blaze is 25% contained.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Dove Fire comes just a week after the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092116/little-fire-in-east-bay-crews-halt-spread-no-structures-damaged-pleasanton-mayor-says\">Little Fire\u003c/a> burned more than 1,000 acres in Alameda County, as dry, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092689/a-bay-area-heat-wave-is-coming-along-with-beach-hazards-and-wildfires\">hot summer conditions\u003c/a> set in across Northern California. The Bay Area is expected to heat up through the weekend, with temperatures peaking Saturday in the interior East Bay and North Bay, and meteorologists are urging people to be careful not to throw a spark, since fires could spread quickly during the warm spell.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cal Fire said Hoskin’s arrest in connection to the Tuolumne blaze came after an extensive investigation, involving its Tuolumne-Calaveras and Madera-Mariposa-Merced units, as well as the Sonora Police Department and Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office. According to the county sheriff’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/tuolumnecountysheriff/posts/on-the-afternoon-of-july-26-2026-when-the-dove-fire-was-first-reported-to-the-tu/1337172441922241/\">Facebook\u003c/a> page, Hoskins was recognized by local law enforcement from images taken of the fire, which showed a suspect wearing a distinctive straw hat.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it’s charged, or plans to charge, Hoskins with any crimes.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Dove Fire Burns 224 Acres, 70 Miles West of Yosemite",
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"content": "\u003cp>A wildfire \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2026/7/26/dove-fire\">burning in the hills near Sonora\u003c/a> has stopped growing as firefighters work to contain the blaze that forced evacuations across parts of Tuolumne County.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Dove Fire broke out just before 3 p.m. Sunday southwest of Sonora, near Highway 108 and Mill Villa Road, spreading quickly through dry fuels, prompting mandatory evacuations and road closures within and around the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cal Fire said Monday that the blaze now sits around 224 acres, with the initial cause still under investigation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of smoldering debris still within the fire perimeter,” said Emily Kilgore, a public information officer for Cal Fire’s Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit, who had just returned from the fire lines on Monday. “Firefighters are still installing a containment line and strengthening that perimeter.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260727-DOVE-FIRE-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092760\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260727-DOVE-FIRE-01-KQED.jpg 1500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260727-DOVE-FIRE-01-KQED-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260727-DOVE-FIRE-01-KQED-1152x1536.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Dove Fire burns in the hills near Sonora in Tuolumne County on July 26, 2026. (Courtesy of CalFire via Facebook)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The fire was at 0% containment on Monday afternoon, with 484 personnel assigned, Kilgore said. But it had not moved since Sunday afternoon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Dove Fire is the latest in a string of wildfires testing Bay Area and Northern California crews during a hot, dry stretch. Last week, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092319/little-fire-near-pleasanton-no-longer-a-threat-alameda-county-says\">Little Fire\u003c/a> scorched more than 1,000 acres near Pleasanton and Sunol before crews were able to halt its spread.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Two firefighters were hurt Sunday, Kilgore said. One suffered an ankle injury, and the other showed symptoms of heat illness; both were taken for medical evaluation and have since been released. Damage inspections are underway, and Kilgore said it was not yet clear whether any structures had been affected.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Despite the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092689/a-bay-area-heat-wave-is-coming-along-with-beach-hazards-and-wildfires\">heat wave settling over Northern California this week\u003c/a>, with temperatures inland climbing toward 100 degrees and humidity dropping, Kilgore said forecasters’ warnings are more of a concern for new fires than for this one. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“For this particular fire, firefighters are doing good work on getting that containment installed, so we don’t anticipate that affecting the fire behavior,” she said. The heat and dry fuels, she added, are “a prime source of contributing to wildfire ignitions” across the region, and she urged people doing outdoor work to use caution and shift activity to the cooler morning hours.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One hazard crew is watching within the fire’s footprint is old mine shafts, Kilgore said, a legacy of the Gold Country terrain, which firefighters are working around as they build line.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Despite headlines placing the fire “near Yosemite,” it is not affecting access to the national park, which sits about 70 miles east, Kilgore confirmed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/07/26/california-secures-federal-assistance-to-support-response-to-dove-fire-in-tuolumne-county/\">announced Sunday \u003c/a>that California had secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from FEMA to help cover the response, allowing local, state and tribal agencies to recover up to 75% of eligible firefighting costs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Fire Management Assistance Grant is an important tool that helps ensure local and state agencies responding to fast-moving wildfires have the resources needed to keep communities safe,” Cal OES Director Caroline Thomas Jacobs said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to a Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office update on Monday afternoon, Highway 108 fully reopened, with some evacuation orders issued over the weekend downgraded to warnings. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mandatory evacuations remain in place for a cluster of streets including Golden Dove Lane, Silver Pine Drive, Southgate Drive and parts of Stockton Road, with warnings covering additional areas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An evacuation center is open at the Tuolumne Community Resilience Center at 18241 Bay Ave. in Tuolumne, where evacuees can bring small pets. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The National Weather Service has warned that as heat peaks, fire danger will build across the region through the following weekend.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kilgore urged residents to keep an evacuation kit ready and to monitor Cal Fire’s website and the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office for the latest. “If you live in the area and do not feel safe, please leave,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/tuolumnecountysheriff/posts/pfbid07AAMBQtUfm2NTzUYX15cEJZj7qcViFUEV3naghxMfphA3W18gzJL1mNZMPBGYapcl\">the office wrote\u003c/a> in a Facebook post. “Do not wait to be told to evacuate.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A wildfire \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2026/7/26/dove-fire\">burning in the hills near Sonora\u003c/a> has stopped growing as firefighters work to contain the blaze that forced evacuations across parts of Tuolumne County.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Dove Fire broke out just before 3 p.m. Sunday southwest of Sonora, near Highway 108 and Mill Villa Road, spreading quickly through dry fuels, prompting mandatory evacuations and road closures within and around the city. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cal Fire said Monday that the blaze now sits around 224 acres, with the initial cause still under investigation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of smoldering debris still within the fire perimeter,” said Emily Kilgore, a public information officer for Cal Fire’s Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit, who had just returned from the fire lines on Monday. “Firefighters are still installing a containment line and strengthening that perimeter.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260727-DOVE-FIRE-01-KQED.jpg 1500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260727-DOVE-FIRE-01-KQED-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260727-DOVE-FIRE-01-KQED-1152x1536.jpg 1152w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260727-DOVE-FIRE-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092760\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260727-DOVE-FIRE-01-KQED.jpg 1500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260727-DOVE-FIRE-01-KQED-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260727-DOVE-FIRE-01-KQED-1152x1536.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Dove Fire burns in the hills near Sonora in Tuolumne County on July 26, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The fire was at 0% containment on Monday afternoon, with 484 personnel assigned, Kilgore said. But it had not moved since Sunday afternoon. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Dove Fire is the latest in a string of wildfires testing Bay Area and Northern California crews during a hot, dry stretch. Last week, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092319/little-fire-near-pleasanton-no-longer-a-threat-alameda-county-says\">Little Fire\u003c/a> scorched more than 1,000 acres near Pleasanton and Sunol before crews were able to halt its spread.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two firefighters were hurt Sunday, Kilgore said. One suffered an ankle injury, and the other showed symptoms of heat illness; both were taken for medical evaluation and have since been released. Damage inspections are underway, and Kilgore said it was not yet clear whether any structures had been affected.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Two firefighters were hurt Sunday, Kilgore said. One suffered an ankle injury, and the other showed symptoms of heat illness; both were taken for medical evaluation and have since been released. Damage inspections are underway, and Kilgore said it was not yet clear whether any structures had been affected.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Despite the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092689/a-bay-area-heat-wave-is-coming-along-with-beach-hazards-and-wildfires\">heat wave settling over Northern California this week\u003c/a>, with temperatures inland climbing toward 100 degrees and humidity dropping, Kilgore said forecasters’ warnings are more of a concern for new fires than for this one. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Despite the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092689/a-bay-area-heat-wave-is-coming-along-with-beach-hazards-and-wildfires\">heat wave settling over Northern California this week\u003c/a>, with temperatures inland climbing toward 100 degrees and humidity dropping, Kilgore said forecasters’ warnings are more of a concern for new fires than for this one. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“For this particular fire, firefighters are doing good work on getting that containment installed, so we don’t anticipate that affecting the fire behavior,” she said. The heat and dry fuels, she added, are “a prime source of contributing to wildfire ignitions” across the region, and she urged people doing outdoor work to use caution and shift activity to the cooler morning hours.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“For this particular fire, firefighters are doing good work on getting that containment installed, so we don’t anticipate that affecting the fire behavior,” she said. The heat and dry fuels, she added, are “a prime source of contributing to wildfire ignitions” across the region, and she urged people doing outdoor work to use caution and shift activity to the cooler morning hours.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One hazard crew is watching within the fire’s footprint is old mine shafts, Kilgore said, a legacy of the Gold Country terrain, which firefighters are working around as they build line.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Despite headlines placing the fire “near Yosemite,” it is not affecting access to the national park, which sits about 70 miles east, Kilgore confirmed.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/07/26/california-secures-federal-assistance-to-support-response-to-dove-fire-in-tuolumne-county/\">announced Sunday \u003c/a>that California had secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from FEMA to help cover the response, allowing local, state and tribal agencies to recover up to 75% of eligible firefighting costs. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The Fire Management Assistance Grant is an important tool that helps ensure local and state agencies responding to fast-moving wildfires have the resources needed to keep communities safe,” Cal OES Director Caroline Thomas Jacobs said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to a Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office update on Monday afternoon, Highway 108 fully reopened, with some evacuation orders issued over the weekend downgraded to warnings. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mandatory evacuations remain in place for a cluster of streets including Golden Dove Lane, Silver Pine Drive, Southgate Drive and parts of Stockton Road, with warnings covering additional areas. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>An evacuation center is open at the Tuolumne Community Resilience Center at 18241 Bay Ave. in Tuolumne, where evacuees can bring small pets. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The National Weather Service has warned that as heat peaks, fire danger will build across the region through the following weekend.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kilgore urged residents to keep an evacuation kit ready and to monitor Cal Fire’s website and the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office for the latest. “If you live in the area and do not feel safe, please leave,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/tuolumnecountysheriff/posts/pfbid07AAMBQtUfm2NTzUYX15cEJZj7qcViFUEV3naghxMfphA3W18gzJL1mNZMPBGYapcl\">the office wrote\u003c/a> in a Facebook post. “Do not wait to be told to evacuate.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The wildfire that forced evacuations in Tuolumne County on Sunday hasn’t grown since Monday afternoon, Cal Fire says, and is not threatening national park access.",
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"headline": "Dove Fire Burns 224 Acres, 70 Miles West of Yosemite",
"datePublished": "2026-07-27T15:52:21-07:00",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A wildfire \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2026/7/26/dove-fire\">burning in the hills near Sonora\u003c/a> has stopped growing as firefighters work to contain the blaze that forced evacuations across parts of Tuolumne County.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Dove Fire broke out just before 3 p.m. Sunday southwest of Sonora, near Highway 108 and Mill Villa Road, spreading quickly through dry fuels, prompting mandatory evacuations and road closures within and around the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cal Fire said Monday that the blaze now sits around 224 acres, with the initial cause still under investigation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of smoldering debris still within the fire perimeter,” said Emily Kilgore, a public information officer for Cal Fire’s Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit, who had just returned from the fire lines on Monday. “Firefighters are still installing a containment line and strengthening that perimeter.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260727-DOVE-FIRE-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092760\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260727-DOVE-FIRE-01-KQED.jpg 1500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260727-DOVE-FIRE-01-KQED-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260727-DOVE-FIRE-01-KQED-1152x1536.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Dove Fire burns in the hills near Sonora in Tuolumne County on July 26, 2026. (Courtesy of CalFire via Facebook)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The fire was at 0% containment on Monday afternoon, with 484 personnel assigned, Kilgore said. But it had not moved since Sunday afternoon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Dove Fire is the latest in a string of wildfires testing Bay Area and Northern California crews during a hot, dry stretch. Last week, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092319/little-fire-near-pleasanton-no-longer-a-threat-alameda-county-says\">Little Fire\u003c/a> scorched more than 1,000 acres near Pleasanton and Sunol before crews were able to halt its spread.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Two firefighters were hurt Sunday, Kilgore said. One suffered an ankle injury, and the other showed symptoms of heat illness; both were taken for medical evaluation and have since been released. Damage inspections are underway, and Kilgore said it was not yet clear whether any structures had been affected.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Despite the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092689/a-bay-area-heat-wave-is-coming-along-with-beach-hazards-and-wildfires\">heat wave settling over Northern California this week\u003c/a>, with temperatures inland climbing toward 100 degrees and humidity dropping, Kilgore said forecasters’ warnings are more of a concern for new fires than for this one. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“For this particular fire, firefighters are doing good work on getting that containment installed, so we don’t anticipate that affecting the fire behavior,” she said. The heat and dry fuels, she added, are “a prime source of contributing to wildfire ignitions” across the region, and she urged people doing outdoor work to use caution and shift activity to the cooler morning hours.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One hazard crew is watching within the fire’s footprint is old mine shafts, Kilgore said, a legacy of the Gold Country terrain, which firefighters are working around as they build line.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Despite headlines placing the fire “near Yosemite,” it is not affecting access to the national park, which sits about 70 miles east, Kilgore confirmed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/07/26/california-secures-federal-assistance-to-support-response-to-dove-fire-in-tuolumne-county/\">announced Sunday \u003c/a>that California had secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from FEMA to help cover the response, allowing local, state and tribal agencies to recover up to 75% of eligible firefighting costs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Fire Management Assistance Grant is an important tool that helps ensure local and state agencies responding to fast-moving wildfires have the resources needed to keep communities safe,” Cal OES Director Caroline Thomas Jacobs said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to a Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office update on Monday afternoon, Highway 108 fully reopened, with some evacuation orders issued over the weekend downgraded to warnings. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mandatory evacuations remain in place for a cluster of streets including Golden Dove Lane, Silver Pine Drive, Southgate Drive and parts of Stockton Road, with warnings covering additional areas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An evacuation center is open at the Tuolumne Community Resilience Center at 18241 Bay Ave. in Tuolumne, where evacuees can bring small pets. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The National Weather Service has warned that as heat peaks, fire danger will build across the region through the following weekend.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kilgore urged residents to keep an evacuation kit ready and to monitor Cal Fire’s website and the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office for the latest. “If you live in the area and do not feel safe, please leave,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/tuolumnecountysheriff/posts/pfbid07AAMBQtUfm2NTzUYX15cEJZj7qcViFUEV3naghxMfphA3W18gzJL1mNZMPBGYapcl\">the office wrote\u003c/a> in a Facebook post. “Do not wait to be told to evacuate.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "theyre-on-our-flag-but-do-long-gone-grizzly-bears-belong-in-modern-california",
"title": "They’re on Our Flag, but Do Long-Gone Grizzly Bears Belong in Modern California?",
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"headTitle": "They’re on Our Flag, but Do Long-Gone Grizzly Bears Belong in Modern California? | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The grizzly bear on California’s flag went extinct a century ago in the Golden State. Now, a group of tribes and environmentalists is urging the Legislature to study whether it’s possible to bring them back.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Grizzlies once lived across most of California. As many as 10,000 may have roamed before the Gold Rush. They were so prevalent that when California settlers tried to form their own nation, they called it the Bear Flag Republic. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Settlers systematically exterminated the animals, and they were gone by the 1920s, leaving the smaller black bear as the only surviving bear species.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A century and 34.5 million more people later, Inglewood Democratic Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/laura-richardson-187466\">Laura Richardson\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1305\">Senate Bill 1305\u003c/a> would task the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with creating a “roadmap that evaluates whether, and under what conditions, reintroduction of the grizzly bear is feasible and advisable.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measure provides no funding to carry out the study, which could be provided by a future Legislature or an outside group. And even if it were funded and its recommendations acted on, it would be several years and require help from a potentially adversarial federal government before a grizzly bear’s claws ever cut tracks in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1339\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12076801\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-1536x1028.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">It is often said that the bear on the modern California state flag is based on “Monarch,” one of the last grizzly bears to live in the state. But researchers now believe it was based on the drawing of another bear, Samson. (Joseph Sohm/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposal’s hypothetical nature has done little to ease tensions over the prospect of some day returning the continent’s second-largest land predator to the nation’s most populous state. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On one side are organizations representing rural communities, hunting organizations and ranchers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They argue it’s preposterous to consider reintroducing aggressive 800-pound bears to California’s degraded, drought- and fire-prone landscapes. Rural areas, they say, are already overwhelmed with conflicts with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/mountain-lion-attacks-2-people-in-california-foothills-killing-1/\">mountain lions\u003c/a> and growing \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Black-Bear\">black bear\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article316446094.html\">wolf populations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I just don’t think that our California today is ready for a grizzly bear,” Republican Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/heather-hadwick-187417\">Heather Hadwick\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279747#t=1192&f=ea737d404cb65c8e1f0d48a47f0e4922\">told the Assembly wildlife committee\u003c/a> last month. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hadwick’s sprawling rural district in northeastern California has faced years of tensions over predators, especially wolves, killing livestock and frightening small towns.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Environmentalists, tribes support \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At least 40 groups, including tribes, environmentalists and animal welfare organizations, support the bill, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/\">CalMatters Digital Democracy database\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>They say bringing back the state’s biggest apex land predator would improve the ecosystem and right an ecological wrong from California’s past.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I can see the ways in which my homeland has suffered from the loss of iconic species such as the grizzly, and that this loss lingers in our heart and in the attenuation of a millennia-old relationship,” Tiana Williams-Claussen, director of the Yurok Tribe’s wildlife department, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279747#t=27&f=ea737d404cb65c8e1f0d48a47f0e4922\">told lawmakers last month\u003c/a>. The Yurok and Tejon tribes are the bill’s cosponsors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092588\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brook Thompson of the Yurok Tribe overlooks the removal site of the Iron Gate Dam, allowing the Klamath River to run in its original path in that area for the first time in nearly a century, near Hornbrook, California, on Aug. 14, 2024. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.calgrizzly.org/feasibility-study\">A 2025 study\u003c/a> from a coalition of tribes, environmentalists and university researchers found that the Yurok lands on the north coast as well as the nearby Klamath Mountains and Trinity Alps could be suitable grizzly habitat. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The study also singled out the southern Sierra Nevada, including Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks, as well as the Transverse Mountains that span from San Bernardino County to Santa Barbara County.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>It estimated the habitats could sustain between 424 and 1,713 grizzlies, though it recommends bringing in a population of 25 grizzlies to start. Grizzlies can be found in Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supporters of the proposal say grizzlies would help California’s ecosystem. The giant omnivorous bears till soil as they root up meals, helping restore conifer forests, prairies and oak savannas, easing fire danger.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Grizzlies also serve as a check on overpopulation of prey. Grizzlies could reduce California’s human conflicts with black bears since grizzlies compete for food with their smaller cousins. Grizzlies also kill and eat black bears.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The loss of grizzlies might have been one of those contributing factors to that (black bear population) overgrowth,” Williams-Claussen said in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Grizzlies and the urban-rural divide\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supporters’ arguments have appealed to the Democrats who control the Legislature. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Only Republicans have voted against the bill, which is pending before the Assembly Appropriations Committee when the Legislature returns Aug. 3.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Richardson didn’t return an interview request for this story. The measure’s Democratic coauthors are lawmakers from Southern California representing predominantly urban districts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/072126-Stern-and-Richardson-Split-01-CM-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"A side-by-side split image showing a person on the left in a blue suit and a red tie holding a cell phone in their hand. The person on the right is wearing a black blazer over a blouse with a black-and-white pattern while speaking on the California Assembly floor into a microphone.\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, state Sen. Henry Stern and state Sen. Laura Richardson. Photos by Fred Greaves for CalMatters\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This spring, one of the coauthors, Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/henry-stern-36368\">Henry Stern\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279103#t=1532&f=20798ddeaaa55218d15cdbf945d9f503\">told the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee\u003c/a> that a mountain lion recently attacked one of his neighbors, so he understands rural concerns about predators.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even so, learning to coexist with them is just part of living in a beautiful state filled with wildlife, Stern said.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“We want to live in a California where — that risk — there’s some beauty in it,” said Stern, who represents the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles. “To have that element in our lives, as opposed to just sterilizing our landscapes and our nature so that nothing else could ever be a risk … I think it makes us more human to have wildness in our lives.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Elizabeth Washoe, a Native American from Modoc County, hears that kind of talk from urban residents and rolls her eyes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s nothing I would love more than to see grizzly bears on the beach at Santa Barbara chasing rich people,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But she said that would be cruel — to the bears.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like many in California, Washoe’s people still pay homage to grizzlies through ceremonial bear dances, but she said it’s not “ethically right to bring them back.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She hopes lawmakers consider what life would be like for the grizzlies they’d have captured and brought to California, where they would face a landscape radically different and eight times more populated than when the bears last lived here.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The bears don’t have any say in it,” Washoe said. “Where they’re at, they’re living a pretty good life, and we’d take them and put them here in a landscape that is so dramatically changed from what it was the last time that the bears were truly living a good life here … I understand the idea of it, but to me it feels egotistical.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">State wildlife officials wary\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California agency that would be responsible for studying grizzly bear reintroduction does not appear eager to take it on. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Department of Fish and Wildlife, which hasn’t taken an official position on the legislation, does not comment on pending bills, spokesperson Peter Tira told CalMatters this week. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office also declined to comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But there’s no indication the department’s position on grizzlies has changed since a former spokesperson told a reporter in 2023 that wildlife officials can barely keep up with existing predator conflicts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084670\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks about his state budget proposal on Thursday, May 14, 2026, in Sacramento, California. (Jeff Chiu/AP)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Bringing another predator into the state that we would have to manage and come up with some program to figure out what happens when the grizzly attacks a human or kills livestock does not seem feasible for us,” then-spokesperson Jordan Traverso told \u003ca href=\"https://www.altaonline.com/dispatches/a43127739/grizzly-bear-return-california-peter-alagona/\">the Alta Journal\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The department is chronically underfunded and understaffed. A legislative analysis for this year’s bill notes that Fish and Wildlife has enough cash and staff to complete just 38% of its existing duties. The department “would be unable to absorb the demand this roadmap would have on staff time and resources” according to the analysis.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>David Bess, who recently retired as its top law enforcement officer overseeing California’s game wardens, said the department is “drowning in work,” much of it trying to manage conflicts with predators already on the landscape.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I just don’t see where the department even has the capacity to do it,” Bess said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trump’s grizzly proposal\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, President Donald Trump’s administration has added a new wrinkle to the debate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, the administration issued a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/15/nx-s1-5893400/trump-administrations-proposal-to-shift-management-of-grizzly-bears-causes-confusion\">proposed rule change\u003c/a> that seeks to return management of grizzlies to states, despite the bears being protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Environmentalists fear Trump’s proposal would allow conservative states to begin killing grizzlies to appease ranchers and big game hunters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1111\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12019868\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5-800x556.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5-1020x708.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5-1536x1067.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A grizzly bear mother and her cub in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. (Karen Bleier/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposed federal rule wouldn’t impact California’s grizzly proposal, since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would be in charge of any reintroduction program, said Andrea Zaccardi, carnivore conservation legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, which supports Richardson’s legislation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But having the bears in environmentally friendly states such as California could prove helpful if other states begin aggressively killing them off, she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Hopefully, they would be managed more responsibly there,” said Zaccardi, whose organization has \u003ca href=\"https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/mammals/grizzly_bear/bring_back_the_bears.html\">unsuccessfully petitioned the feds\u003c/a> to return grizzly bears to California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/07/california-grizzly-bear-reintroduction-bill/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The grizzly bear on California’s flag went extinct a century ago in the Golden State. Now, a group of tribes and environmentalists is urging the Legislature to study whether it’s possible to bring them back.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The grizzly bear on California’s flag went extinct a century ago in the Golden State. Now, a group of tribes and environmentalists is urging the Legislature to study whether it’s possible to bring them back.\u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Grizzlies once lived across most of California. As many as 10,000 may have roamed before the Gold Rush. They were so prevalent that when California settlers tried to form their own nation, they called it the Bear Flag Republic. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Grizzlies once lived across most of California. As many as 10,000 may have roamed before the Gold Rush. They were so prevalent that when California settlers tried to form their own nation, they called it the Bear Flag Republic. \u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Settlers systematically exterminated the animals, and they were gone by the 1920s, leaving the smaller black bear as the only surviving bear species.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Settlers systematically exterminated the animals, and they were gone by the 1920s, leaving the smaller black bear as the only surviving bear species.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A century and 34.5 million more people later, Inglewood Democratic Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/laura-richardson-187466\">Laura Richardson\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1305\">Senate Bill 1305\u003c/a> would task the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with creating a “roadmap that evaluates whether, and under what conditions, reintroduction of the grizzly bear is feasible and advisable.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A century and 34.5 million more people later, Inglewood Democratic Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/laura-richardson-187466\">Laura Richardson\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1305\">Senate Bill 1305\u003c/a> would task the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with creating a “roadmap that evaluates whether, and under what conditions, reintroduction of the grizzly bear is feasible and advisable.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure provides no funding to carry out the study, which could be provided by a future Legislature or an outside group. And even if it were funded and its recommendations acted on, it would be several years and require help from a potentially adversarial federal government before a grizzly bear’s claws ever cut tracks in California.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The measure provides no funding to carry out the study, which could be provided by a future Legislature or an outside group. And even if it were funded and its recommendations acted on, it would be several years and require help from a potentially adversarial federal government before a grizzly bear’s claws ever cut tracks in California.\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-1536x1028.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12076801\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-1536x1028.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">It is often said that the bear on the modern California state flag is based on “Monarch,” one of the last grizzly bears to live in the state. But researchers now believe it was based on the drawing of another bear, Samson.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12076801\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">It is often said that the bear on the modern California state flag is based on “Monarch,” one of the last grizzly bears to live in the state. But researchers now believe it was based on the drawing of another bear, Samson.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The proposal’s hypothetical nature has done little to ease tensions over the prospect of some day returning the continent’s second-largest land predator to the nation’s most populous state. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The proposal’s hypothetical nature has done little to ease tensions over the prospect of some day returning the continent’s second-largest land predator to the nation’s most populous state. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On one side are organizations representing rural communities, hunting organizations and ranchers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On one side are organizations representing rural communities, hunting organizations and ranchers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They argue it’s preposterous to consider reintroducing aggressive 800-pound bears to California’s degraded, drought- and fire-prone landscapes. Rural areas, they say, are already overwhelmed with conflicts with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/mountain-lion-attacks-2-people-in-california-foothills-killing-1/\">mountain lions\u003c/a> and growing \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Black-Bear\">black bear\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article316446094.html\">wolf populations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>They argue it’s preposterous to consider reintroducing aggressive 800-pound bears to California’s degraded, drought- and fire-prone landscapes. Rural areas, they say, are already overwhelmed with conflicts with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/mountain-lion-attacks-2-people-in-california-foothills-killing-1/\">mountain lions\u003c/a> and growing \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Black-Bear\">black bear\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article316446094.html\">wolf populations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I just don’t think that our California today is ready for a grizzly bear,” Republican Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/heather-hadwick-187417\">Heather Hadwick\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279747#t=1192&f=ea737d404cb65c8e1f0d48a47f0e4922\">told the Assembly wildlife committee\u003c/a> last month. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I just don’t think that our California today is ready for a grizzly bear,” Republican Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/heather-hadwick-187417\">Heather Hadwick\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279747#t=1192&f=ea737d404cb65c8e1f0d48a47f0e4922\">told the Assembly wildlife committee\u003c/a> last month. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hadwick’s sprawling rural district in northeastern California has faced years of tensions over predators, especially wolves, killing livestock and frightening small towns.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Hadwick’s sprawling rural district in northeastern California has faced years of tensions over predators, especially wolves, killing livestock and frightening small towns.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Environmentalists, tribes support ",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Environmentalists, tribes support \u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Environmentalists, tribes support \u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At least 40 groups, including tribes, environmentalists and animal welfare organizations, support the bill, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/\">CalMatters Digital Democracy database\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>They say bringing back the state’s biggest apex land predator would improve the ecosystem and right an ecological wrong from California’s past.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>At least 40 groups, including tribes, environmentalists and animal welfare organizations, support the bill, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/\">CalMatters Digital Democracy database\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>They say bringing back the state’s biggest apex land predator would improve the ecosystem and right an ecological wrong from California’s past.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I can see the ways in which my homeland has suffered from the loss of iconic species such as the grizzly, and that this loss lingers in our heart and in the attenuation of a millennia-old relationship,” Tiana Williams-Claussen, director of the Yurok Tribe’s wildlife department, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279747#t=27&f=ea737d404cb65c8e1f0d48a47f0e4922\">told lawmakers last month\u003c/a>. The Yurok and Tejon tribes are the bill’s cosponsors.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I can see the ways in which my homeland has suffered from the loss of iconic species such as the grizzly, and that this loss lingers in our heart and in the attenuation of a millennia-old relationship,” Tiana Williams-Claussen, director of the Yurok Tribe’s wildlife department, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279747#t=27&f=ea737d404cb65c8e1f0d48a47f0e4922\">told lawmakers last month\u003c/a>. The Yurok and Tejon tribes are the bill’s cosponsors.\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092588\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brook Thompson of the Yurok Tribe overlooks the removal site of the Iron Gate Dam, allowing the Klamath River to run in its original path in that area for the first time in nearly a century, near Hornbrook, California, on Aug. 14, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092588\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brook Thompson of the Yurok Tribe overlooks the removal site of the Iron Gate Dam, allowing the Klamath River to run in its original path in that area for the first time in nearly a century, near Hornbrook, California, on Aug. 14, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.calgrizzly.org/feasibility-study\">A 2025 study\u003c/a> from a coalition of tribes, environmentalists and university researchers found that the Yurok lands on the north coast as well as the nearby Klamath Mountains and Trinity Alps could be suitable grizzly habitat. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.calgrizzly.org/feasibility-study\">A 2025 study\u003c/a> from a coalition of tribes, environmentalists and university researchers found that the Yurok lands on the north coast as well as the nearby Klamath Mountains and Trinity Alps could be suitable grizzly habitat. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The study also singled out the southern Sierra Nevada, including Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks, as well as the Transverse Mountains that span from San Bernardino County to Santa Barbara County.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>It estimated the habitats could sustain between 424 and 1,713 grizzlies, though it recommends bringing in a population of 25 grizzlies to start. Grizzlies can be found in Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The study also singled out the southern Sierra Nevada, including Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks, as well as the Transverse Mountains that span from San Bernardino County to Santa Barbara County.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>It estimated the habitats could sustain between 424 and 1,713 grizzlies, though it recommends bringing in a population of 25 grizzlies to start. Grizzlies can be found in Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Supporters of the proposal say grizzlies would help California’s ecosystem. The giant omnivorous bears till soil as they root up meals, helping restore conifer forests, prairies and oak savannas, easing fire danger.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Supporters of the proposal say grizzlies would help California’s ecosystem. The giant omnivorous bears till soil as they root up meals, helping restore conifer forests, prairies and oak savannas, easing fire danger.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Grizzlies also serve as a check on overpopulation of prey. Grizzlies could reduce California’s human conflicts with black bears since grizzlies compete for food with their smaller cousins. Grizzlies also kill and eat black bears.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Grizzlies also serve as a check on overpopulation of prey. Grizzlies could reduce California’s human conflicts with black bears since grizzlies compete for food with their smaller cousins. Grizzlies also kill and eat black bears.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The loss of grizzlies might have been one of those contributing factors to that (black bear population) overgrowth,” Williams-Claussen said in an interview.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“The loss of grizzlies might have been one of those contributing factors to that (black bear population) overgrowth,” Williams-Claussen said in an interview.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Grizzlies and the urban-rural divide",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Grizzlies and the urban-rural divide\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Grizzlies and the urban-rural divide\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Supporters’ arguments have appealed to the Democrats who control the Legislature. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Supporters’ arguments have appealed to the Democrats who control the Legislature. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Only Republicans have voted against the bill, which is pending before the Assembly Appropriations Committee when the Legislature returns Aug. 3.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Only Republicans have voted against the bill, which is pending before the Assembly Appropriations Committee when the Legislature returns Aug. 3.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Richardson didn’t return an interview request for this story. The measure’s Democratic coauthors are lawmakers from Southern California representing predominantly urban districts.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Richardson didn’t return an interview request for this story. The measure’s Democratic coauthors are lawmakers from Southern California representing predominantly urban districts.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003cimg src=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/072126-Stern-and-Richardson-Split-01-CM-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"A side-by-side split image showing a person on the left in a blue suit and a red tie holding a cell phone in their hand. The person on the right is wearing a black blazer over a blouse with a black-and-white pattern while speaking on the California Assembly floor into a microphone.\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, state Sen. Henry Stern and state Sen. Laura Richardson. Photos by Fred Greaves for CalMatters\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003cimg src=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/072126-Stern-and-Richardson-Split-01-CM-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"A side-by-side split image showing a person on the left in a blue suit and a red tie holding a cell phone in their hand. The person on the right is wearing a black blazer over a blouse with a black-and-white pattern while speaking on the California Assembly floor into a microphone.\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, state Sen. Henry Stern and state Sen. Laura Richardson. Photos by Fred Greaves for CalMatters\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This spring, one of the coauthors, Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/henry-stern-36368\">Henry Stern\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279103#t=1532&f=20798ddeaaa55218d15cdbf945d9f503\">told the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee\u003c/a> that a mountain lion recently attacked one of his neighbors, so he understands rural concerns about predators.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This spring, one of the coauthors, Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/henry-stern-36368\">Henry Stern\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279103#t=1532&f=20798ddeaaa55218d15cdbf945d9f503\">told the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee\u003c/a> that a mountain lion recently attacked one of his neighbors, so he understands rural concerns about predators.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Even so, learning to coexist with them is just part of living in a beautiful state filled with wildlife, Stern said.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“We want to live in a California where — that risk — there’s some beauty in it,” said Stern, who represents the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles. “To have that element in our lives, as opposed to just sterilizing our landscapes and our nature so that nothing else could ever be a risk … I think it makes us more human to have wildness in our lives.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Elizabeth Washoe, a Native American from Modoc County, hears that kind of talk from urban residents and rolls her eyes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s nothing I would love more than to see grizzly bears on the beach at Santa Barbara chasing rich people,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There’s nothing I would love more than to see grizzly bears on the beach at Santa Barbara chasing rich people,” she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But she said that would be cruel — to the bears.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Like many in California, Washoe’s people still pay homage to grizzlies through ceremonial bear dances, but she said it’s not “ethically right to bring them back.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Like many in California, Washoe’s people still pay homage to grizzlies through ceremonial bear dances, but she said it’s not “ethically right to bring them back.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She hopes lawmakers consider what life would be like for the grizzlies they’d have captured and brought to California, where they would face a landscape radically different and eight times more populated than when the bears last lived here.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She hopes lawmakers consider what life would be like for the grizzlies they’d have captured and brought to California, where they would face a landscape radically different and eight times more populated than when the bears last lived here.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The bears don’t have any say in it,” Washoe said. “Where they’re at, they’re living a pretty good life, and we’d take them and put them here in a landscape that is so dramatically changed from what it was the last time that the bears were truly living a good life here … I understand the idea of it, but to me it feels egotistical.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The bears don’t have any say in it,” Washoe said. “Where they’re at, they’re living a pretty good life, and we’d take them and put them here in a landscape that is so dramatically changed from what it was the last time that the bears were truly living a good life here … I understand the idea of it, but to me it feels egotistical.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "State wildlife officials wary",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">State wildlife officials wary\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The California agency that would be responsible for studying grizzly bear reintroduction does not appear eager to take it on. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The California agency that would be responsible for studying grizzly bear reintroduction does not appear eager to take it on. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Department of Fish and Wildlife, which hasn’t taken an official position on the legislation, does not comment on pending bills, spokesperson Peter Tira told CalMatters this week. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office also declined to comment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Department of Fish and Wildlife, which hasn’t taken an official position on the legislation, does not comment on pending bills, spokesperson Peter Tira told CalMatters this week. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office also declined to comment.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But there’s no indication the department’s position on grizzlies has changed since a former spokesperson told a reporter in 2023 that wildlife officials can barely keep up with existing predator conflicts.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But there’s no indication the department’s position on grizzlies has changed since a former spokesperson told a reporter in 2023 that wildlife officials can barely keep up with existing predator conflicts.\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084670\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks about his state budget proposal on Thursday, May 14, 2026, in Sacramento, California. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084670\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks about his state budget proposal on Thursday, May 14, 2026, in Sacramento, California. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Bringing another predator into the state that we would have to manage and come up with some program to figure out what happens when the grizzly attacks a human or kills livestock does not seem feasible for us,” then-spokesperson Jordan Traverso told \u003ca href=\"https://www.altaonline.com/dispatches/a43127739/grizzly-bear-return-california-peter-alagona/\">the Alta Journal\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Bringing another predator into the state that we would have to manage and come up with some program to figure out what happens when the grizzly attacks a human or kills livestock does not seem feasible for us,” then-spokesperson Jordan Traverso told \u003ca href=\"https://www.altaonline.com/dispatches/a43127739/grizzly-bear-return-california-peter-alagona/\">the Alta Journal\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The department is chronically underfunded and understaffed. A legislative analysis for this year’s bill notes that Fish and Wildlife has enough cash and staff to complete just 38% of its existing duties. The department “would be unable to absorb the demand this roadmap would have on staff time and resources” according to the analysis.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The department is chronically underfunded and understaffed. A legislative analysis for this year’s bill notes that Fish and Wildlife has enough cash and staff to complete just 38% of its existing duties. The department “would be unable to absorb the demand this roadmap would have on staff time and resources” according to the analysis.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>David Bess, who recently retired as its top law enforcement officer overseeing California’s game wardens, said the department is “drowning in work,” much of it trying to manage conflicts with predators already on the landscape.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>David Bess, who recently retired as its top law enforcement officer overseeing California’s game wardens, said the department is “drowning in work,” much of it trying to manage conflicts with predators already on the landscape.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I just don’t see where the department even has the capacity to do it,” Bess said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I just don’t see where the department even has the capacity to do it,” Bess said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Trump’s grizzly proposal",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trump’s grizzly proposal\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Now, President Donald Trump’s administration has added a new wrinkle to the debate. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, the administration issued a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/15/nx-s1-5893400/trump-administrations-proposal-to-shift-management-of-grizzly-bears-causes-confusion\">proposed rule change\u003c/a> that seeks to return management of grizzlies to states, despite the bears being protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, the administration issued a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/15/nx-s1-5893400/trump-administrations-proposal-to-shift-management-of-grizzly-bears-causes-confusion\">proposed rule change\u003c/a> that seeks to return management of grizzlies to states, despite the bears being protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Environmentalists fear Trump’s proposal would allow conservative states to begin killing grizzlies to appease ranchers and big game hunters. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Environmentalists fear Trump’s proposal would allow conservative states to begin killing grizzlies to appease ranchers and big game hunters. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12019868\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5-800x556.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5-1020x708.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5-1536x1067.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A grizzly bear mother and her cub in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The proposed federal rule wouldn’t impact California’s grizzly proposal, since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would be in charge of any reintroduction program, said Andrea Zaccardi, carnivore conservation legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, which supports Richardson’s legislation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But having the bears in environmentally friendly states such as California could prove helpful if other states begin aggressively killing them off, she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But having the bears in environmentally friendly states such as California could prove helpful if other states begin aggressively killing them off, she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Hopefully, they would be managed more responsibly there,” said Zaccardi, whose organization has \u003ca href=\"https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/mammals/grizzly_bear/bring_back_the_bears.html\">unsuccessfully petitioned the feds\u003c/a> to return grizzly bears to California. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Hopefully, they would be managed more responsibly there,” said Zaccardi, whose organization has \u003ca href=\"https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/mammals/grizzly_bear/bring_back_the_bears.html\">unsuccessfully petitioned the feds\u003c/a> to return grizzly bears to California. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/07/california-grizzly-bear-reintroduction-bill/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Democrats are advancing a bill over objections from rural residents, ranchers and Republicans that would study whether California should bring back grizzly bears.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The grizzly bear on California’s flag went extinct a century ago in the Golden State. Now, a group of tribes and environmentalists is urging the Legislature to study whether it’s possible to bring them back.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Grizzlies once lived across most of California. As many as 10,000 may have roamed before the Gold Rush. They were so prevalent that when California settlers tried to form their own nation, they called it the Bear Flag Republic. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Settlers systematically exterminated the animals, and they were gone by the 1920s, leaving the smaller black bear as the only surviving bear species.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A century and 34.5 million more people later, Inglewood Democratic Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/laura-richardson-187466\">Laura Richardson\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1305\">Senate Bill 1305\u003c/a> would task the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with creating a “roadmap that evaluates whether, and under what conditions, reintroduction of the grizzly bear is feasible and advisable.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measure provides no funding to carry out the study, which could be provided by a future Legislature or an outside group. And even if it were funded and its recommendations acted on, it would be several years and require help from a potentially adversarial federal government before a grizzly bear’s claws ever cut tracks in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1339\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12076801\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-1536x1028.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">It is often said that the bear on the modern California state flag is based on “Monarch,” one of the last grizzly bears to live in the state. But researchers now believe it was based on the drawing of another bear, Samson. (Joseph Sohm/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposal’s hypothetical nature has done little to ease tensions over the prospect of some day returning the continent’s second-largest land predator to the nation’s most populous state. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On one side are organizations representing rural communities, hunting organizations and ranchers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They argue it’s preposterous to consider reintroducing aggressive 800-pound bears to California’s degraded, drought- and fire-prone landscapes. Rural areas, they say, are already overwhelmed with conflicts with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/mountain-lion-attacks-2-people-in-california-foothills-killing-1/\">mountain lions\u003c/a> and growing \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Black-Bear\">black bear\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article316446094.html\">wolf populations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I just don’t think that our California today is ready for a grizzly bear,” Republican Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/heather-hadwick-187417\">Heather Hadwick\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279747#t=1192&f=ea737d404cb65c8e1f0d48a47f0e4922\">told the Assembly wildlife committee\u003c/a> last month. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hadwick’s sprawling rural district in northeastern California has faced years of tensions over predators, especially wolves, killing livestock and frightening small towns.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Environmentalists, tribes support \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At least 40 groups, including tribes, environmentalists and animal welfare organizations, support the bill, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/\">CalMatters Digital Democracy database\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>They say bringing back the state’s biggest apex land predator would improve the ecosystem and right an ecological wrong from California’s past.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I can see the ways in which my homeland has suffered from the loss of iconic species such as the grizzly, and that this loss lingers in our heart and in the attenuation of a millennia-old relationship,” Tiana Williams-Claussen, director of the Yurok Tribe’s wildlife department, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279747#t=27&f=ea737d404cb65c8e1f0d48a47f0e4922\">told lawmakers last month\u003c/a>. The Yurok and Tejon tribes are the bill’s cosponsors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092588\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/Yurok-Tribe-Getty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brook Thompson of the Yurok Tribe overlooks the removal site of the Iron Gate Dam, allowing the Klamath River to run in its original path in that area for the first time in nearly a century, near Hornbrook, California, on Aug. 14, 2024. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.calgrizzly.org/feasibility-study\">A 2025 study\u003c/a> from a coalition of tribes, environmentalists and university researchers found that the Yurok lands on the north coast as well as the nearby Klamath Mountains and Trinity Alps could be suitable grizzly habitat. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The study also singled out the southern Sierra Nevada, including Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks, as well as the Transverse Mountains that span from San Bernardino County to Santa Barbara County.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>It estimated the habitats could sustain between 424 and 1,713 grizzlies, though it recommends bringing in a population of 25 grizzlies to start. Grizzlies can be found in Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supporters of the proposal say grizzlies would help California’s ecosystem. The giant omnivorous bears till soil as they root up meals, helping restore conifer forests, prairies and oak savannas, easing fire danger.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Grizzlies also serve as a check on overpopulation of prey. Grizzlies could reduce California’s human conflicts with black bears since grizzlies compete for food with their smaller cousins. Grizzlies also kill and eat black bears.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The loss of grizzlies might have been one of those contributing factors to that (black bear population) overgrowth,” Williams-Claussen said in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Grizzlies and the urban-rural divide\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supporters’ arguments have appealed to the Democrats who control the Legislature. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Only Republicans have voted against the bill, which is pending before the Assembly Appropriations Committee when the Legislature returns Aug. 3.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Richardson didn’t return an interview request for this story. The measure’s Democratic coauthors are lawmakers from Southern California representing predominantly urban districts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/072126-Stern-and-Richardson-Split-01-CM-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"A side-by-side split image showing a person on the left in a blue suit and a red tie holding a cell phone in their hand. The person on the right is wearing a black blazer over a blouse with a black-and-white pattern while speaking on the California Assembly floor into a microphone.\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, state Sen. Henry Stern and state Sen. Laura Richardson. Photos by Fred Greaves for CalMatters\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This spring, one of the coauthors, Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/henry-stern-36368\">Henry Stern\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279103#t=1532&f=20798ddeaaa55218d15cdbf945d9f503\">told the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee\u003c/a> that a mountain lion recently attacked one of his neighbors, so he understands rural concerns about predators.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even so, learning to coexist with them is just part of living in a beautiful state filled with wildlife, Stern said.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“We want to live in a California where — that risk — there’s some beauty in it,” said Stern, who represents the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles. “To have that element in our lives, as opposed to just sterilizing our landscapes and our nature so that nothing else could ever be a risk … I think it makes us more human to have wildness in our lives.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Elizabeth Washoe, a Native American from Modoc County, hears that kind of talk from urban residents and rolls her eyes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s nothing I would love more than to see grizzly bears on the beach at Santa Barbara chasing rich people,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But she said that would be cruel — to the bears.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like many in California, Washoe’s people still pay homage to grizzlies through ceremonial bear dances, but she said it’s not “ethically right to bring them back.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She hopes lawmakers consider what life would be like for the grizzlies they’d have captured and brought to California, where they would face a landscape radically different and eight times more populated than when the bears last lived here.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The bears don’t have any say in it,” Washoe said. “Where they’re at, they’re living a pretty good life, and we’d take them and put them here in a landscape that is so dramatically changed from what it was the last time that the bears were truly living a good life here … I understand the idea of it, but to me it feels egotistical.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">State wildlife officials wary\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California agency that would be responsible for studying grizzly bear reintroduction does not appear eager to take it on. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Department of Fish and Wildlife, which hasn’t taken an official position on the legislation, does not comment on pending bills, spokesperson Peter Tira told CalMatters this week. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office also declined to comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But there’s no indication the department’s position on grizzlies has changed since a former spokesperson told a reporter in 2023 that wildlife officials can barely keep up with existing predator conflicts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084670\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks about his state budget proposal on Thursday, May 14, 2026, in Sacramento, California. (Jeff Chiu/AP)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Bringing another predator into the state that we would have to manage and come up with some program to figure out what happens when the grizzly attacks a human or kills livestock does not seem feasible for us,” then-spokesperson Jordan Traverso told \u003ca href=\"https://www.altaonline.com/dispatches/a43127739/grizzly-bear-return-california-peter-alagona/\">the Alta Journal\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The department is chronically underfunded and understaffed. A legislative analysis for this year’s bill notes that Fish and Wildlife has enough cash and staff to complete just 38% of its existing duties. The department “would be unable to absorb the demand this roadmap would have on staff time and resources” according to the analysis.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>David Bess, who recently retired as its top law enforcement officer overseeing California’s game wardens, said the department is “drowning in work,” much of it trying to manage conflicts with predators already on the landscape.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I just don’t see where the department even has the capacity to do it,” Bess said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trump’s grizzly proposal\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, President Donald Trump’s administration has added a new wrinkle to the debate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, the administration issued a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/15/nx-s1-5893400/trump-administrations-proposal-to-shift-management-of-grizzly-bears-causes-confusion\">proposed rule change\u003c/a> that seeks to return management of grizzlies to states, despite the bears being protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Environmentalists fear Trump’s proposal would allow conservative states to begin killing grizzlies to appease ranchers and big game hunters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1111\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12019868\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5-800x556.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5-1020x708.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-5-1536x1067.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A grizzly bear mother and her cub in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. (Karen Bleier/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposed federal rule wouldn’t impact California’s grizzly proposal, since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would be in charge of any reintroduction program, said Andrea Zaccardi, carnivore conservation legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, which supports Richardson’s legislation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But having the bears in environmentally friendly states such as California could prove helpful if other states begin aggressively killing them off, she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Hopefully, they would be managed more responsibly there,” said Zaccardi, whose organization has \u003ca href=\"https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/mammals/grizzly_bear/bring_back_the_bears.html\">unsuccessfully petitioned the feds\u003c/a> to return grizzly bears to California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/07/california-grizzly-bear-reintroduction-bill/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "California Rejected 150,000 Mail Ballots, Marking Highest Rate Since 2014",
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"headTitle": "California Rejected 150,000 Mail Ballots, Marking Highest Rate Since 2014 | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>California \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/electionsnews\">election\u003c/a> officials rejected nearly 150,000 ballots in the June 2 primary election, an increase of tens of thousands over recent elections, according to a report from the secretary of state’s office. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That accounted for 1.7% of all vote-by-mail ballots cast, marking the state’s highest rejection rate since 2014, according to the California Voter Foundation. Most of the rejected ballots were reported as “not received on time,” which can mean that the ballot was either postmarked after Election Day or arrived in election offices after the June 9 receipt deadline.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s always troubling to see an increase,” said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation. “Ballots rejected due to lateness are almost always because they’re postmarked too late — not because they don’t arrive during the grace period.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaBallotsSupremeCourtAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12089274\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaBallotsSupremeCourtAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaBallotsSupremeCourtAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaBallotsSupremeCourtAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ballots are sorted the day after California’s primary election at the L.A. County Ballot Processing Center on June 3, 2026, in City of Industry, California. (Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Election officials and voting advocates attribute late ballots to changes in U.S. Postal Service practices that could result in mailpieces not being postmarked on the same day they were mailed, as well as a competitive primary for governor that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084978/california-democrats-anxious-about-wasted-votes-are-clinging-to-their-ballots\">left many voters undecided\u003c/a> until the final days of the campaign. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our experience in this election was that voters were waiting until the last minute to vote a lot more than what we’ve seen in past elections,” said Matt Moreles, the registrar of voters in Santa Clara County, which had the highest rate of vote-by-mail ballot rejections in the Bay Area at 2.6%. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, every voter receives a ballot in the mail by default, roughly a month before Election Day. Ballots returned in the mail must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive at the county registrar’s office \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089268/supreme-court-ruling-allows-california-to-continue-accepting-ballots-after-election-day\">within a week\u003c/a> after that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last year, USPS officials announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085378/usps-changes-ballot-drop-box-near-me-deadline-california-primary-vote-for-governor\">a change in “transportation operations”\u003c/a> that resulted in some mailpieces not arriving at central processing facilities, where postmarks are applied, on the same day they are mailed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a result, a ballot dropped in a mailbox on Election Day in a community far from one of those hubs could receive a postmark the following day, making it ineligible to be counted. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Of the 148,241 vote-by-mail ballots left uncounted in California, 93,497 were rejected for late arrival. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are going to look at that as far as — is there anything we can do in our messaging to voters and in terms of educating voters about the importance of returning their ballots?” Moreles said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A smaller number — 52,290 — were rejected because the voter either failed to sign their ballot envelope or because that signature did not match their signature on file. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California law allows election officials to resolve signature issues for weeks after Election Day. Under the process known as ballot “curing,” registrars are allowed to contact voters with a missing or mismatched signature and give them a chance to fix it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Voting advocates argue that ballot rejections are a far more pertinent issue for state lawmakers to address than exceedingly rare cases of voter fraud. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/GettyImages-2256657926.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12070782\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/GettyImages-2256657926.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/GettyImages-2256657926-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/GettyImages-2256657926-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to the press on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on Jan. 20, 2026. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In each of California’s last five statewide elections, more than 100,000 residents did not have their vote counted because their ballot arrived too late or had a signature issue. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To me it’s always disappointing to see ballot rejection happening, because it’s a lot of work to be a California voter,” Alexander said. “But the fact that you see all of these ballots being rejected is evidence of the careful work election officials undertake each election to make sure that only valid ballots cast are counted and that nobody is voting more than once.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers are hoping that an infusion of $10 million for voter education will help persuade Californians \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087984/three-ways-california-could-speed-up-vote-counting\">to vote early\u003c/a> and avoid ballot issues. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The budget signed by Newsom in June includes $5 million each for the secretary of state’s office and county officials for the purpose of encouraging an earlier vote.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/electionsnews\">election\u003c/a> officials rejected nearly 150,000 ballots in the June 2 primary election, an increase of tens of thousands over recent elections, according to a report from the secretary of state’s office. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That accounted for 1.7% of all vote-by-mail ballots cast, marking the state’s highest rejection rate since 2014, according to the California Voter Foundation. Most of the rejected ballots were reported as “not received on time,” which can mean that the ballot was either postmarked after Election Day or arrived in election offices after the June 9 receipt deadline.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s always troubling to see an increase,” said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation. “Ballots rejected due to lateness are almost always because they’re postmarked too late — not because they don’t arrive during the grace period.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s always troubling to see an increase,” said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation. “Ballots rejected due to lateness are almost always because they’re postmarked too late — not because they don’t arrive during the grace period.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaBallotsSupremeCourtAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12089274\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaBallotsSupremeCourtAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaBallotsSupremeCourtAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaBallotsSupremeCourtAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ballots are sorted the day after California’s primary election at the L.A. County Ballot Processing Center on June 3, 2026, in City of Industry, California.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Election officials and voting advocates attribute late ballots to changes in U.S. Postal Service practices that could result in mailpieces not being postmarked on the same day they were mailed, as well as a competitive primary for governor that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084978/california-democrats-anxious-about-wasted-votes-are-clinging-to-their-ballots\">left many voters undecided\u003c/a> until the final days of the campaign. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Election officials and voting advocates attribute late ballots to changes in U.S. Postal Service practices that could result in mailpieces not being postmarked on the same day they were mailed, as well as a competitive primary for governor that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084978/california-democrats-anxious-about-wasted-votes-are-clinging-to-their-ballots\">left many voters undecided\u003c/a> until the final days of the campaign. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Our experience in this election was that voters were waiting until the last minute to vote a lot more than what we’ve seen in past elections,” said Matt Moreles, the registrar of voters in Santa Clara County, which had the highest rate of vote-by-mail ballot rejections in the Bay Area at 2.6%. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Our experience in this election was that voters were waiting until the last minute to vote a lot more than what we’ve seen in past elections,” said Matt Moreles, the registrar of voters in Santa Clara County, which had the highest rate of vote-by-mail ballot rejections in the Bay Area at 2.6%. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In California, every voter receives a ballot in the mail by default, roughly a month before Election Day. Ballots returned in the mail must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive at the county registrar’s office \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089268/supreme-court-ruling-allows-california-to-continue-accepting-ballots-after-election-day\">within a week\u003c/a> after that. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In California, every voter receives a ballot in the mail by default, roughly a month before Election Day. Ballots returned in the mail must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive at the county registrar’s office \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089268/supreme-court-ruling-allows-california-to-continue-accepting-ballots-after-election-day\">within a week\u003c/a> after that. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last year, USPS officials announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085378/usps-changes-ballot-drop-box-near-me-deadline-california-primary-vote-for-governor\">a change in “transportation operations”\u003c/a> that resulted in some mailpieces not arriving at central processing facilities, where postmarks are applied, on the same day they are mailed. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Last year, USPS officials announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085378/usps-changes-ballot-drop-box-near-me-deadline-california-primary-vote-for-governor\">a change in “transportation operations”\u003c/a> that resulted in some mailpieces not arriving at central processing facilities, where postmarks are applied, on the same day they are mailed. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As a result, a ballot dropped in a mailbox on Election Day in a community far from one of those hubs could receive a postmark the following day, making it ineligible to be counted. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As a result, a ballot dropped in a mailbox on Election Day in a community far from one of those hubs could receive a postmark the following day, making it ineligible to be counted. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Of the 148,241 vote-by-mail ballots left uncounted in California, 93,497 were rejected for late arrival. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Of the 148,241 vote-by-mail ballots left uncounted in California, 93,497 were rejected for late arrival. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are going to look at that as far as — is there anything we can do in our messaging to voters and in terms of educating voters about the importance of returning their ballots?” Moreles said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We are going to look at that as far as — is there anything we can do in our messaging to voters and in terms of educating voters about the importance of returning their ballots?” Moreles said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A smaller number — 52,290 — were rejected because the voter either failed to sign their ballot envelope or because that signature did not match their signature on file. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A smaller number — 52,290 — were rejected because the voter either failed to sign their ballot envelope or because that signature did not match their signature on file. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California law allows election officials to resolve signature issues for weeks after Election Day. Under the process known as ballot “curing,” registrars are allowed to contact voters with a missing or mismatched signature and give them a chance to fix it.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California law allows election officials to resolve signature issues for weeks after Election Day. Under the process known as ballot “curing,” registrars are allowed to contact voters with a missing or mismatched signature and give them a chance to fix it.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Voting advocates argue that ballot rejections are a far more pertinent issue for state lawmakers to address than exceedingly rare cases of voter fraud. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Voting advocates argue that ballot rejections are a far more pertinent issue for state lawmakers to address than exceedingly rare cases of voter fraud. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In each of California’s last five statewide elections, more than 100,000 residents did not have their vote counted because their ballot arrived too late or had a signature issue. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“To me it’s always disappointing to see ballot rejection happening, because it’s a lot of work to be a California voter,” Alexander said. “But the fact that you see all of these ballots being rejected is evidence of the careful work election officials undertake each election to make sure that only valid ballots cast are counted and that nobody is voting more than once.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“To me it’s always disappointing to see ballot rejection happening, because it’s a lot of work to be a California voter,” Alexander said. “But the fact that you see all of these ballots being rejected is evidence of the careful work election officials undertake each election to make sure that only valid ballots cast are counted and that nobody is voting more than once.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers are hoping that an infusion of $10 million for voter education will help persuade Californians \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087984/three-ways-california-could-speed-up-vote-counting\">to vote early\u003c/a> and avoid ballot issues. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The budget signed by Newsom in June includes $5 million each for the secretary of state’s office and county officials for the purpose of encouraging an earlier vote.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "In the June primary, 1.7% of vote-by-mail ballots cast were rejected, in most cases because the ballot was not received on time. Election officials and advocates pointed to USPS changes and late-deciding voters.",
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"title": "California Rejected 150,000 Mail Ballots, Marking Highest Rate Since 2014 | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/electionsnews\">election\u003c/a> officials rejected nearly 150,000 ballots in the June 2 primary election, an increase of tens of thousands over recent elections, according to a report from the secretary of state’s office. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That accounted for 1.7% of all vote-by-mail ballots cast, marking the state’s highest rejection rate since 2014, according to the California Voter Foundation. Most of the rejected ballots were reported as “not received on time,” which can mean that the ballot was either postmarked after Election Day or arrived in election offices after the June 9 receipt deadline.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s always troubling to see an increase,” said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation. “Ballots rejected due to lateness are almost always because they’re postmarked too late — not because they don’t arrive during the grace period.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaBallotsSupremeCourtAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12089274\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaBallotsSupremeCourtAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaBallotsSupremeCourtAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaBallotsSupremeCourtAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ballots are sorted the day after California’s primary election at the L.A. County Ballot Processing Center on June 3, 2026, in City of Industry, California. (Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Election officials and voting advocates attribute late ballots to changes in U.S. Postal Service practices that could result in mailpieces not being postmarked on the same day they were mailed, as well as a competitive primary for governor that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084978/california-democrats-anxious-about-wasted-votes-are-clinging-to-their-ballots\">left many voters undecided\u003c/a> until the final days of the campaign. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our experience in this election was that voters were waiting until the last minute to vote a lot more than what we’ve seen in past elections,” said Matt Moreles, the registrar of voters in Santa Clara County, which had the highest rate of vote-by-mail ballot rejections in the Bay Area at 2.6%. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, every voter receives a ballot in the mail by default, roughly a month before Election Day. Ballots returned in the mail must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive at the county registrar’s office \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089268/supreme-court-ruling-allows-california-to-continue-accepting-ballots-after-election-day\">within a week\u003c/a> after that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last year, USPS officials announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085378/usps-changes-ballot-drop-box-near-me-deadline-california-primary-vote-for-governor\">a change in “transportation operations”\u003c/a> that resulted in some mailpieces not arriving at central processing facilities, where postmarks are applied, on the same day they are mailed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a result, a ballot dropped in a mailbox on Election Day in a community far from one of those hubs could receive a postmark the following day, making it ineligible to be counted. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Of the 148,241 vote-by-mail ballots left uncounted in California, 93,497 were rejected for late arrival. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are going to look at that as far as — is there anything we can do in our messaging to voters and in terms of educating voters about the importance of returning their ballots?” Moreles said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A smaller number — 52,290 — were rejected because the voter either failed to sign their ballot envelope or because that signature did not match their signature on file. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California law allows election officials to resolve signature issues for weeks after Election Day. Under the process known as ballot “curing,” registrars are allowed to contact voters with a missing or mismatched signature and give them a chance to fix it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Voting advocates argue that ballot rejections are a far more pertinent issue for state lawmakers to address than exceedingly rare cases of voter fraud. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/GettyImages-2256657926.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12070782\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/GettyImages-2256657926.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/GettyImages-2256657926-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/GettyImages-2256657926-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to the press on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on Jan. 20, 2026. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In each of California’s last five statewide elections, more than 100,000 residents did not have their vote counted because their ballot arrived too late or had a signature issue. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To me it’s always disappointing to see ballot rejection happening, because it’s a lot of work to be a California voter,” Alexander said. “But the fact that you see all of these ballots being rejected is evidence of the careful work election officials undertake each election to make sure that only valid ballots cast are counted and that nobody is voting more than once.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers are hoping that an infusion of $10 million for voter education will help persuade Californians \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087984/three-ways-california-could-speed-up-vote-counting\">to vote early\u003c/a> and avoid ballot issues. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The budget signed by Newsom in June includes $5 million each for the secretary of state’s office and county officials for the purpose of encouraging an earlier vote.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "why-do-these-uc-professors-want-college-standardized-testing-back",
"title": "Why Do These UC Professors Want College Standardized Testing Back?",
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"content": "\u003cp>In May 2020, the University of California regents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11820185/uc-admissions-to-phase-out-sat-and-act-requirement\">voted\u003c/a> unanimously to phase out the SAT and ACT as admission requirements. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Considered a rite of passage in high school \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/education/530951/should-colleges-still-require-the-sats-and-acts\">since the 1940s\u003c/a> for students planning to continue their education, the standardized tests were also \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/education/530951/should-colleges-still-require-the-sats-and-acts\">long criticized\u003c/a> as insufficient predictors of college performance and discriminatory to low-income students who didn’t have the same access to test-prep materials and classes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The UC system wasn’t alone. At the end of 2021, Harvard University announced it would waive \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/harvard-test-optional-sat-act-scores-college-admission/\">the testing requirement through 2026.\u003c/a> Institutions like \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/standardized-tests.html\">New York University\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/application/required-materials/\">University of Chicago\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.nd.edu/apply/\">Notre Dame University\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.northwestern.edu/faqs/standardized-testing-policy/\">Northwestern University\u003c/a> are all currently test-optional for this application cycle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11996136\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The UCLA campus in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2022. \u003cbr> (Raquel Natalicchio for CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But tides are shifting for these schools — and possibly for the UCs, too. Over the summer, more than 3,000 faculty members at University of California schools have signed \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">a pair of open letters\u003c/a> supporting admissions testing. \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">One letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 2,300 people — called for the return of the mathematics test for STEM majors, saying that testing is a “critical baseline” and “a common external check that students have the core mathematical fluency required for university-level STEM coursework.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The SAT/ACT mathematics requirement is not an obstacle to equity; rather, it is a prerequisite for it,” the letter reads. “Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom, where they become harder to overcome.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What fairness looks like\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>2020 was also a year when the country was in the middle of a “racial justice reckoning” after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/george-floyd\">the killing of George Floyd by police officers\u003c/a>, explained \u003cem>Berkeleyside \u003c/em>higher education reporter Felicia Mello on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914438/should-the-ucs-reinstate-the-sat\">KQED’s Forum\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was a lot of discussion about equity happening,” Mello said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She also added that a year prior, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/09/30/914061484/lies-money-and-cheating-the-deeper-story-of-the-college-admissions-scandal\">the infamous Varsity Blues college admissions scandal\u003c/a> took place, in which federal authorities cracked down on wealthy parents who had been cheating the application process through bribes and rigged standardized test scores. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED.jpg?ver=1706236237\" alt=\"A bald person with glasses speaks into a microphone at a long table.\" class=\"wp-image-11973813\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">UC President Michael Drake (center) announces the UC Board of Regents’ vote not to consider a proposal to allow the university to hire undocumented students at a UC Board of Regents meeting at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center on Jan. 25, 2024. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Board of Regents then took the decision first to go test-optional and eventually ended up going completely test-blind, and that’s the situation that we’ve been in since then,” Mello said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, after the UCs went test-optional in 2020, “we saw students thoroughly unprepared to take math in college,” said co-author of the STEM faculty letter, Mina Aganagic — a professor of mathematics and physics at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re not saying that these kids didn’t take pre-calc or calc or they haven’t mastered that,” she argued. “The issue is at a much, much earlier level. Students who struggle with material that’s taught in elementary and middle school.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And for those students, helping them learn calculus is really literally an impossible task,” she said. “So it was heartbreaking seeing so many students struggle.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/socscihum/\">other letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 900 people — argued for bringing back the reading and writing portion of the SAT and ACT, echoing similar sentiments from STEM faculty members. The humanities faculty members also remarked on \u003ca href=\"https://www.404media.co/teachers-are-not-ok-ai-chatgpt/\">the rise of AI use among students\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As artificial intelligence becomes more capable, it is arguably more important than ever for students to be able to think through and compose sound arguments on their own, to comprehend the texts they read and to recognize weaknesses in the arguments of those texts,” the social sciences letter reads. “The growing use of AI also makes essays a less reliable indicator of these abilities.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, critics of the SAT and ACT requirements emphasize the disadvantage under-resourced students face and note that the letter’s signatories are a small portion of the large UC faculty.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The problem was that the SAT itself was basically a test that was really about assessing someone’s socioeconomic status,” said Lisa Holder, an \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> civil rights attorney who helped \u003ca href=\"https://publiccounsel.org/our-cases/smith-v-regents-of-university-of-california/\">file a lawsuit\u003c/a> to end the use of SAT and ACT in UC admissions, which ended in a settlement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1469\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092383\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965-1536x1140.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of a pencil on a page of an SAT college entrance exam preparation book, taken on Aug., 6, 2017, in Melville, New York. (Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The metric that that test actually excelled at measuring was your access to test prep. And that is correlated to wealth,” she said. “This is one snapshot, a day in the life of an individual, as opposed to four years of a high-performing, high-achieving student who is striving.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Stephanie, a high school teacher at a college prep school, wrote into Forum saying she was against reinstating the SAT.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I see how much time and money the wealthy students at my school spend on test prep, and it’s egregious,” she said. “The test prep courses and private tutors don’t teach students the material. They teach them how to game the system.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Another listener, who said they are a UC Merced professor, wrote on Forum’s Discord channel that many of the signatures came from “faculty at the three most selective campuses like Berkeley, UCLA and San Diego.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We educate a much higher share of students who need remedial math or writing,” they wrote. “Instead of trying to weed those students out, our approach has been to provide them with additional support and help them catch up.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1129\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11.jpg\" alt=\"A sign marking the entrance to UC Merced.\" class=\"wp-image-10747399\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-400x235.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-800x470.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-1440x847.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-1180x694.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-960x565.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign marking the entrance to UC Merced. (Lance Johnson/Flickr)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, an audience member who said they were a math tutor for two decades also pointed out that “kids trying to learn calculus couldn’t add two fractions efficiently, so I stopped tutoring calculus altogether. It was too much hassle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you wish to compete in the world, boost standards. Universities are not designed for remedial education.” Another told Forum that as a Northern California teacher who worked in \u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what-is-standards-based-grading-and-how-does-it-work/2024/09\">a standards-based grading school\u003c/a>, “All of my co-teachers agreed that this made grades very inflated. Students graduated shockingly ill-prepared for college, but their grades looked great.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Read on to learn more about Forum’s conversation with experts and reporters on the debate around standardized testing in California’s public higher education system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Arguments for Standardized Testing \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What are professors who signed the letter seeing in classrooms?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Aganagic\u003c/strong>: You’d see enormous amounts of stress on the students. You’d see students who try to take the class three times, and they’re failing again. And they say, “I’ve done everything,” and they have done everything. But the task put in front of them is to cover a multi-year gap in one college calculus class together with 400 to 700 other students. It is simply impossible. It’s sort of like I asked you to climb a wall with no footholds at all. A mathematical genius could not do that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why is standardized testing the best way to measure that readiness for college-level work?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>First, most of the SAT actually focuses on the kind of math that’s taught in middle school. I don’t mean acing it, but you will be able to do all right. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The other absolutely crucial thing to understand is how UC uses the SAT. UC was never providing a linear ranking of students and then saying, “We’ll take those with top SAT scores.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What we will do is the following: Let’s say you take two students from a poor Black neighborhood. They’re going to the same high school. We have grade inflation. Both of these kids ace their math class. And we have to pick one. How are you going to pick? Right now, if we have to pick one, it’s going to be a random choice. In fact, Berkeley doesn’t even take teachers’ recommendations into account. What we are asking for is, “Give us the SAT score.” It will allow us to make an informed choice. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1385\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092386\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780-1536x1074.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SAT preparation books sit on a shelf at a Barnes and Noble store June 27, 2002 in New York City. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>There’s also the \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://smarterbalanced.org/our-system/students-and-families/samples/\">\u003cstrong>Smarter Balanced Test\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> that all California public high school juniors have to take. Would that be a reliable measure?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Certainly having something would be better than having nothing at all. But one problem is purely technical — test problems leaking. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And right now, Smarter Balanced is intended to assess how schools are doing. It’s not designed as a high-stakes test. And converting it to one would require huge resources just to achieve the same thing the SAT is already doing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do you say to critics of standardized testing, who say scores track closely with income and racial disparities? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Every measure we have, including Smarter Balanced, already has in it, baked, these inequities. There’s just simply no way around it. The SAT is no better, no worse than any other measure we had. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the crucial thing is what washes them out is how we use the SAT. We are not comparing a kid from an affluent background to a low-income student and saying, “Compare their SAT scores.” No, we compare students who are alike in every other respect. In other words, the SAT becomes one part of a student’s file. And when we cannot decide between two students who are completely alike in every other respect, it’s a much more informed choice than throwing a die, which is deeply unfair. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Didn’t the pandemic — and remote schooling — also have a hand in dropping performances? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The overall level of math preparedness has been declining. Nobody’s questioning that. But what we are seeing here is a population of students at the very lowest level of preparedness. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Usually what you see is kind of a bell curve. And when you’re talking about overall level shifting, you’re talking about this bell curve kind of shifting. But what we are seeing is the bell curve — it becomes kind of a U-shape. You see students who are acing our classes and students who’re hopelessly failing, and there’s nothing in the middle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088396\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California State University, Northridge on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Couldn’t the UCs support these students through remedial college courses?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We’re pouring a lot into remediation. However, there are certain sizes of gaps that you simply cannot fill. They just become too large. If you are asking to fill a gap from elementary and middle school, it’s just hopeless. For those students, it would take years of work in college to catch up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And California has this beautiful master plan for higher education: of community colleges, the CSUs and the UCs and pathways between them. So a student who is not as well-prepared could have a real path upward: you could go to a community college, take remedial classes and then transfer to UC. You’re not placed into this classroom where you simply have no way of succeeding because your task was impossible. It is not your failure. It’s the failure of a whole system, and we should not propagate this. We should use the SAT as a placement to put kids in the right places, to give them ladders they can climb up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>The Arguments Against Standardized Testing \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What was the lawsuit filed against the UCs?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lisa Holder: \u003c/strong>In 2019, \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> — along with several private and public firms in a case called Smith v. UC Regents — sued the University of California for continuing to use the SAT and the ACT as a principal criteria for UC admissions when, in fact, the social science showed that the standardized tests, particularly the SAT and the ACT, were not the best metric for assessing a student’s college readiness, even though they purported to be that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The best metric, according to social scientists and psychometricians, was a student’s high school performance. Basically the classes that they took for four years. What did their teachers say about them, their student evaluations, their extracurriculars, their sports, their community involvement? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What was heartbreaking was seeing the clients we had in the Smith case who were incredible students. Many of them were students of color, disabled students and students that did not have a lot of money. And so they had no access to test prep, but they were straight A students. We had a student who had been living in his car for four years, yet he was a straight A student. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Some would argue that accessibility to test-prep has improved thanks to online resources like Khan Academy. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s completely speculative. We haven’t had the test for five years, and there’s no requirement under any settlement to bring that test back. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What we should be doing is looking at the data that is right in front of us. And the data is what tells us that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucop.edu/institutional-research-academic-planning/_files/admissions-outcomes-and-performance.pdf\">UC’s own studies conducted by the board\u003c/a> established that students admitted in the last five years under the test-free policy are equally — if not more — qualified and prepared than the previous students. And that this test-free policy is much more aligned with the UC’s mission, which is to offer high-quality, publicly funded education to California’s best students, not its wealthiest students. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is a publicly funded university system, and everyone, regardless of income, is paying taxes to fund it. All high-performing California students should be able to access this school without obstruction from a gatekeeper test calibrated to measure for wealth rather than excellence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do you say in response to concerns being raised by professors like Aganagic? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The achievement lapses that folks may be seeing are much more likely attributable to this generation’s addiction to mobile phones and their scattered focus, their literacy deficits and sort of shrinking attention spans caused by mobile phone usage and AI addiction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s a much larger systemic problem that we have to start to think about pedagogically in all of our schools. Also, what we’re seeing in this cohort of students is also largely impacted by the missed learning opportunities that they experienced during COVID. Some students were out of school for a year and a half, and so I’m sure that their math preparation may have suffered. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And frankly, we have a lot of really lackluster curricula around STEM in our high schools. And so, students may not be excelling as much as they could be if we were to modernize our systems and sort of keep up with what’s going on globally around STEM. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12050458\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Back view of large group of students sitting in the classroom and listening to their teacher. (Skynesher/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Behind the Testing Debate\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What have some of the effects been of waiving the test requirement?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Felicia Mello: \u003c/strong>UC’s data actually showed that they saw a big bump in applications right after going test-optional. In the first year, applications went up about 19%. And you also start to see a slight increase in diversity of both the people who are applying and the people who are getting in. In terms of performance, the official UC stats don’t show a huge difference. They show that persistence — meaning students who remained in college from the first year to the second year — was largely flat during that time. First-year GPAs ticked down very slightly. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I am really just speaking to kind of what we saw right after the change went into effect in 2021. But the picture painted by the overall UC data is not as grim as the one that is being put forward by faculty on some campuses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How would you characterize the support for the faculty letters? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We have about 3,000 UC faculty out of roughly 26,000 who have signed on to one of these letters, either the letter from STEM faculty or the letter from social sciences and humanities faculty. We have seen the STEM faculty be much more out front on this. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The social sciences and humanities faculty who have come out in favor of this mentioned that having a good quantitative background is also important for social science classes like economics. There also is clearly some concern around students’ writing skills — that the rise of AI has made it harder to tell, even from students’ applications, whether they’re writing them themselves, and it also just has the potential to constrain what students are learning in terms of writing and communication in general. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The UC Berkeley math faculty — who had really been pushing via this open letter for the return of the SAT — had done their own analysis of numbers in introductory calculus classes. And they found that between 2021 and 2023, after UC got rid of the SAT and admissions, there was a big jump in students who were severely underprepared for that introductory calculus course. But unfortunately, because we only have those three years of data, they weren’t giving the same test prior to or after that. It is a bit hard to put that data in context. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Supporters of reinstating the requirement say that the tests would be used in a holistic approach. How true is that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The UC actually does consider 13 different factors in admissions currently, even separate from test scores. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Not just your high school GPA, but how you’re doing relative to other students in your class. It looks at the types of life circumstances you’ve had, your geographic location. Have you had a recent improvement in your performance? What kinds of rigorous courses have you taken? Have you taken AP courses? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s another factor here, which is the broader political environment, and I think there’s a concern that even if the UC brings back the test, there will be pressure then on the UC to focus more narrowly on the task and abandon some of the more holistic aspects of its review. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has certainly been pressuring universities to not pay much attention to the diversity of their classes and not intentionally try to enroll a diverse student body. There’s a concern that this could be seized on by outside actors to try and do an analysis of the university’s admission policies that would focus really narrowly on those test scores. Now, whether that actually happens would remain to be seen.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Equity advocates have also said in the past that, for different reasons, even if you go test-optional, it’s still sending a signal whether those students choose to submit their scores or not, and that could still affect their application.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Next Steps\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: The UC is saying that they will study and make a decision on whether to bring back the testing requirement a year from now. How likely is it that they will bring it back?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mello: \u003c/strong>This is something that was actually in the works even before these open letters. We’ve seen a number of factors that have changed since 2020: We have seen shifts in AI and how it affects the application process. Some of those concerns related to the pandemic are no longer there in the same way. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s a lot of pressure to make this decision more quickly. The Faculty Senate had laid out this process of coming to a recommendation by fall 2027. The faculty had originally laid out a plan: They said, we’re going to study this, and the earliest that we could make a decision under this very detailed road map would be for people who are applying in fall of 2028.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They have since rescinded that detailed timeline. All we know at this point is that they’re going to make their recommendation by June. That creates some potential anxiety for this year’s incoming high school juniors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Who decides to bring back standardized testing?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The regents will really make the ultimate call on this. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The most interesting part of the regents meeting was the chair of the Board of Regents saying that she really felt like the public discussion around this has been too narrowly focused on standardized testing and that the university really needs to take a broader look at what it means to be ready for college in 2026. So this will include things like looking at the high school courses that UC requires people to have when they’re applying. Right now, there’s not a requirement for computer science or any other technology-related course. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s really an appetite for looking at these things more broadly. The regents are looking at, “How do we both maintain that reputation for excellence?” But also do what they are intending to do as a state university and make sure that access to the university is based on hard work and aptitude as opposed to just how much wealth your family has. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1485\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092389\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Standardized test company logo seen displayed on smartphone. (Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is there a middle ground option for standardized testing?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are some universities and colleges that are using the SAT more for placement purposes after people get in. So they’re essentially saying, “We don’t require this for admissions, but we either require or strongly encourage you to share scores after you get in so that we can help figure out if you’re going to be in the right math class for you.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the things that I observe during the course of this reporting is that placement practices for math classes really vary across UC. It’s an extremely diverse system. I spoke with the math chair at UC Santa Barbara who did not sign on to this open letter in support of bringing back the SAT, and he was saying that when we identify students who may not be prepared for our introductory calculus classes, we make sure we flag that early on. We make sure that they are going to community college, and getting the kind of remedial preparation that they need, and then coming back, and those students tend to succeed in our classes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Wouldn’t the effects of the pandemic also be a major factor in student performance?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Essentially, there’s nobody I interviewed on either side that said, “Oh, we’re not dealing with any pandemic-related learning deficiencies.” There’s broad acknowledgment that our students are struggling in various ways since the pandemic, and something needs to be done. And the question is, what is the best response? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We know it’s not just all about the pandemic, because instead of seeing everybody equally struggling, we’re seeing this concentration on both ends where some people are doing really well, some people are really struggling, and that middle category of student is dropping out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some researchers I talked to said that that’s really what you would expect from the impact of the pandemic because the pandemic impacted students differently. Some of them have the peace and quiet they need to study and a reliable Wi-Fi connection, and others do not. \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Considered a rite of passage in high school \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/education/530951/should-colleges-still-require-the-sats-and-acts\">since the 1940s\u003c/a> for students planning to continue their education, the standardized tests were also \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/education/530951/should-colleges-still-require-the-sats-and-acts\">long criticized\u003c/a> as insufficient predictors of college performance and discriminatory to low-income students who didn’t have the same access to test-prep materials and classes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The UC system wasn’t alone. At the end of 2021, Harvard University announced it would waive \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/harvard-test-optional-sat-act-scores-college-admission/\">the testing requirement through 2026.\u003c/a> Institutions like \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/standardized-tests.html\">New York University\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/application/required-materials/\">University of Chicago\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.nd.edu/apply/\">Notre Dame University\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.northwestern.edu/faqs/standardized-testing-policy/\">Northwestern University\u003c/a> are all currently test-optional for this application cycle. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The UC system wasn’t alone. At the end of 2021, Harvard University announced it would waive \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/harvard-test-optional-sat-act-scores-college-admission/\">the testing requirement through 2026.\u003c/a> Institutions like \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/standardized-tests.html\">New York University\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/application/required-materials/\">University of Chicago\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.nd.edu/apply/\">Notre Dame University\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.northwestern.edu/faqs/standardized-testing-policy/\">Northwestern University\u003c/a> are all currently test-optional for this application cycle. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11996136\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The UCLA campus in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2022. \u003cbr>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11996136\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The UCLA campus in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2022. \u003cbr>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But tides are shifting for these schools — and possibly for the UCs, too. Over the summer, more than 3,000 faculty members at University of California schools have signed \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">a pair of open letters\u003c/a> supporting admissions testing. \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">One letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 2,300 people — called for the return of the mathematics test for STEM majors, saying that testing is a “critical baseline” and “a common external check that students have the core mathematical fluency required for university-level STEM coursework.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But tides are shifting for these schools — and possibly for the UCs, too. Over the summer, more than 3,000 faculty members at University of California schools have signed \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">a pair of open letters\u003c/a> supporting admissions testing. \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">One letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 2,300 people — called for the return of the mathematics test for STEM majors, saying that testing is a “critical baseline” and “a common external check that students have the core mathematical fluency required for university-level STEM coursework.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The SAT/ACT mathematics requirement is not an obstacle to equity; rather, it is a prerequisite for it,” the letter reads. “Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom, where they become harder to overcome.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The SAT/ACT mathematics requirement is not an obstacle to equity; rather, it is a prerequisite for it,” the letter reads. “Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom, where they become harder to overcome.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>2020 was also a year when the country was in the middle of a “racial justice reckoning” after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/george-floyd\">the killing of George Floyd by police officers\u003c/a>, explained \u003cem>Berkeleyside \u003c/em>higher education reporter Felicia Mello on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914438/should-the-ucs-reinstate-the-sat\">KQED’s Forum\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>2020 was also a year when the country was in the middle of a “racial justice reckoning” after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/george-floyd\">the killing of George Floyd by police officers\u003c/a>, explained \u003cem>Berkeleyside \u003c/em>higher education reporter Felicia Mello on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914438/should-the-ucs-reinstate-the-sat\">KQED’s Forum\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There was a lot of discussion about equity happening,” Mello said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She also added that a year prior, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/09/30/914061484/lies-money-and-cheating-the-deeper-story-of-the-college-admissions-scandal\">the infamous Varsity Blues college admissions scandal\u003c/a> took place, in which federal authorities cracked down on wealthy parents who had been cheating the application process through bribes and rigged standardized test scores. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She also added that a year prior, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/09/30/914061484/lies-money-and-cheating-the-deeper-story-of-the-college-admissions-scandal\">the infamous Varsity Blues college admissions scandal\u003c/a> took place, in which federal authorities cracked down on wealthy parents who had been cheating the application process through bribes and rigged standardized test scores. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED.jpg?ver=1706236237\" alt=\"A bald person with glasses speaks into a microphone at a long table.\" class=\"wp-image-11973813\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">UC President Michael Drake (center) announces the UC Board of Regents’ vote not to consider a proposal to allow the university to hire undocumented students at a UC Board of Regents meeting at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center on Jan. 25, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED.jpg?ver=1706236237\" alt=\"A bald person with glasses speaks into a microphone at a long table.\" class=\"wp-image-11973813\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">UC President Michael Drake (center) announces the UC Board of Regents’ vote not to consider a proposal to allow the university to hire undocumented students at a UC Board of Regents meeting at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center on Jan. 25, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The Board of Regents then took the decision first to go test-optional and eventually ended up going completely test-blind, and that’s the situation that we’ve been in since then,” Mello said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The Board of Regents then took the decision first to go test-optional and eventually ended up going completely test-blind, and that’s the situation that we’ve been in since then,” Mello said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>However, after the UCs went test-optional in 2020, “we saw students thoroughly unprepared to take math in college,” said co-author of the STEM faculty letter, Mina Aganagic — a professor of mathematics and physics at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>However, after the UCs went test-optional in 2020, “we saw students thoroughly unprepared to take math in college,” said co-author of the STEM faculty letter, Mina Aganagic — a professor of mathematics and physics at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re not saying that these kids didn’t take pre-calc or calc or they haven’t mastered that,” she argued. “The issue is at a much, much earlier level. Students who struggle with material that’s taught in elementary and middle school.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’re not saying that these kids didn’t take pre-calc or calc or they haven’t mastered that,” she argued. “The issue is at a much, much earlier level. Students who struggle with material that’s taught in elementary and middle school.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And for those students, helping them learn calculus is really literally an impossible task,” she said. “So it was heartbreaking seeing so many students struggle.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“And for those students, helping them learn calculus is really literally an impossible task,” she said. “So it was heartbreaking seeing so many students struggle.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/socscihum/\">other letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 900 people — argued for bringing back the reading and writing portion of the SAT and ACT, echoing similar sentiments from STEM faculty members. The humanities faculty members also remarked on \u003ca href=\"https://www.404media.co/teachers-are-not-ok-ai-chatgpt/\">the rise of AI use among students\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/socscihum/\">other letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 900 people — argued for bringing back the reading and writing portion of the SAT and ACT, echoing similar sentiments from STEM faculty members. The humanities faculty members also remarked on \u003ca href=\"https://www.404media.co/teachers-are-not-ok-ai-chatgpt/\">the rise of AI use among students\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“As artificial intelligence becomes more capable, it is arguably more important than ever for students to be able to think through and compose sound arguments on their own, to comprehend the texts they read and to recognize weaknesses in the arguments of those texts,” the social sciences letter reads. “The growing use of AI also makes essays a less reliable indicator of these abilities.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“As artificial intelligence becomes more capable, it is arguably more important than ever for students to be able to think through and compose sound arguments on their own, to comprehend the texts they read and to recognize weaknesses in the arguments of those texts,” the social sciences letter reads. “The growing use of AI also makes essays a less reliable indicator of these abilities.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>However, critics of the SAT and ACT requirements emphasize the disadvantage under-resourced students face and note that the letter’s signatories are a small portion of the large UC faculty.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>However, critics of the SAT and ACT requirements emphasize the disadvantage under-resourced students face and note that the letter’s signatories are a small portion of the large UC faculty.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The problem was that the SAT itself was basically a test that was really about assessing someone’s socioeconomic status,” said Lisa Holder, an \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> civil rights attorney who helped \u003ca href=\"https://publiccounsel.org/our-cases/smith-v-regents-of-university-of-california/\">file a lawsuit\u003c/a> to end the use of SAT and ACT in UC admissions, which ended in a settlement.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The problem was that the SAT itself was basically a test that was really about assessing someone’s socioeconomic status,” said Lisa Holder, an \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> civil rights attorney who helped \u003ca href=\"https://publiccounsel.org/our-cases/smith-v-regents-of-university-of-california/\">file a lawsuit\u003c/a> to end the use of SAT and ACT in UC admissions, which ended in a settlement.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092383\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965-1536x1140.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of a pencil on a page of an SAT college entrance exam preparation book, taken on Aug., 6, 2017, in Melville, New York.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092383\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of a pencil on a page of an SAT college entrance exam preparation book, taken on Aug., 6, 2017, in Melville, New York.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The metric that that test actually excelled at measuring was your access to test prep. And that is correlated to wealth,” she said. “This is one snapshot, a day in the life of an individual, as opposed to four years of a high-performing, high-achieving student who is striving.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The metric that that test actually excelled at measuring was your access to test prep. And that is correlated to wealth,” she said. “This is one snapshot, a day in the life of an individual, as opposed to four years of a high-performing, high-achieving student who is striving.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Stephanie, a high school teacher at a college prep school, wrote into Forum saying she was against reinstating the SAT.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I see how much time and money the wealthy students at my school spend on test prep, and it’s egregious,” she said. “The test prep courses and private tutors don’t teach students the material. They teach them how to game the system.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I see how much time and money the wealthy students at my school spend on test prep, and it’s egregious,” she said. “The test prep courses and private tutors don’t teach students the material. They teach them how to game the system.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Another listener, who said they are a UC Merced professor, wrote on Forum’s Discord channel that many of the signatures came from “faculty at the three most selective campuses like Berkeley, UCLA and San Diego.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Another listener, who said they are a UC Merced professor, wrote on Forum’s Discord channel that many of the signatures came from “faculty at the three most selective campuses like Berkeley, UCLA and San Diego.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We educate a much higher share of students who need remedial math or writing,” they wrote. “Instead of trying to weed those students out, our approach has been to provide them with additional support and help them catch up.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We educate a much higher share of students who need remedial math or writing,” they wrote. “Instead of trying to weed those students out, our approach has been to provide them with additional support and help them catch up.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11.jpg\" alt=\"A sign marking the entrance to UC Merced.\" class=\"wp-image-10747399\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign marking the entrance to UC Merced.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>However, an audience member who said they were a math tutor for two decades also pointed out that “kids trying to learn calculus couldn’t add two fractions efficiently, so I stopped tutoring calculus altogether. It was too much hassle. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>However, an audience member who said they were a math tutor for two decades also pointed out that “kids trying to learn calculus couldn’t add two fractions efficiently, so I stopped tutoring calculus altogether. It was too much hassle. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you wish to compete in the world, boost standards. Universities are not designed for remedial education.” Another told Forum that as a Northern California teacher who worked in \u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what-is-standards-based-grading-and-how-does-it-work/2024/09\">a standards-based grading school\u003c/a>, “All of my co-teachers agreed that this made grades very inflated. Students graduated shockingly ill-prepared for college, but their grades looked great.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If you wish to compete in the world, boost standards. Universities are not designed for remedial education.” Another told Forum that as a Northern California teacher who worked in \u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what-is-standards-based-grading-and-how-does-it-work/2024/09\">a standards-based grading school\u003c/a>, “All of my co-teachers agreed that this made grades very inflated. Students graduated shockingly ill-prepared for college, but their grades looked great.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Read on to learn more about Forum’s conversation with experts and reporters on the debate around standardized testing in California’s public higher education system.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Read on to learn more about Forum’s conversation with experts and reporters on the debate around standardized testing in California’s public higher education system.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "The Arguments for Standardized Testing ",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What are professors who signed the letter seeing in classrooms?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What are professors who signed the letter seeing in classrooms?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Aganagic\u003c/strong>: You’d see enormous amounts of stress on the students. You’d see students who try to take the class three times, and they’re failing again. And they say, “I’ve done everything,” and they have done everything. But the task put in front of them is to cover a multi-year gap in one college calculus class together with 400 to 700 other students. It is simply impossible. It’s sort of like I asked you to climb a wall with no footholds at all. A mathematical genius could not do that. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Aganagic\u003c/strong>: You’d see enormous amounts of stress on the students. You’d see students who try to take the class three times, and they’re failing again. And they say, “I’ve done everything,” and they have done everything. But the task put in front of them is to cover a multi-year gap in one college calculus class together with 400 to 700 other students. It is simply impossible. It’s sort of like I asked you to climb a wall with no footholds at all. A mathematical genius could not do that. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why is standardized testing the best way to measure that readiness for college-level work?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why is standardized testing the best way to measure that readiness for college-level work?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>First, most of the SAT actually focuses on the kind of math that’s taught in middle school. I don’t mean acing it, but you will be able to do all right. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>First, most of the SAT actually focuses on the kind of math that’s taught in middle school. I don’t mean acing it, but you will be able to do all right. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The other absolutely crucial thing to understand is how UC uses the SAT. UC was never providing a linear ranking of students and then saying, “We’ll take those with top SAT scores.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The other absolutely crucial thing to understand is how UC uses the SAT. UC was never providing a linear ranking of students and then saying, “We’ll take those with top SAT scores.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>What we will do is the following: Let’s say you take two students from a poor Black neighborhood. They’re going to the same high school. We have grade inflation. Both of these kids ace their math class. And we have to pick one. How are you going to pick? Right now, if we have to pick one, it’s going to be a random choice. In fact, Berkeley doesn’t even take teachers’ recommendations into account. What we are asking for is, “Give us the SAT score.” It will allow us to make an informed choice. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>What we will do is the following: Let’s say you take two students from a poor Black neighborhood. They’re going to the same high school. We have grade inflation. Both of these kids ace their math class. And we have to pick one. How are you going to pick? Right now, if we have to pick one, it’s going to be a random choice. In fact, Berkeley doesn’t even take teachers’ recommendations into account. What we are asking for is, “Give us the SAT score.” It will allow us to make an informed choice. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092386\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780-1536x1074.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SAT preparation books sit on a shelf at a Barnes and Noble store June 27, 2002 in New York City.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092386\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SAT preparation books sit on a shelf at a Barnes and Noble store June 27, 2002 in New York City.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>There’s also the \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://smarterbalanced.org/our-system/students-and-families/samples/\">\u003cstrong>Smarter Balanced Test\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> that all California public high school juniors have to take. Would that be a reliable measure?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>There’s also the \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://smarterbalanced.org/our-system/students-and-families/samples/\">\u003cstrong>Smarter Balanced Test\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> that all California public high school juniors have to take. Would that be a reliable measure?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Certainly having something would be better than having nothing at all. But one problem is purely technical — test problems leaking. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Certainly having something would be better than having nothing at all. But one problem is purely technical — test problems leaking. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And right now, Smarter Balanced is intended to assess how schools are doing. It’s not designed as a high-stakes test. And converting it to one would require huge resources just to achieve the same thing the SAT is already doing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And right now, Smarter Balanced is intended to assess how schools are doing. It’s not designed as a high-stakes test. And converting it to one would require huge resources just to achieve the same thing the SAT is already doing.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do you say to critics of standardized testing, who say scores track closely with income and racial disparities? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do you say to critics of standardized testing, who say scores track closely with income and racial disparities? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Every measure we have, including Smarter Balanced, already has in it, baked, these inequities. There’s just simply no way around it. The SAT is no better, no worse than any other measure we had. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Every measure we have, including Smarter Balanced, already has in it, baked, these inequities. There’s just simply no way around it. The SAT is no better, no worse than any other measure we had. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the crucial thing is what washes them out is how we use the SAT. We are not comparing a kid from an affluent background to a low-income student and saying, “Compare their SAT scores.” No, we compare students who are alike in every other respect. In other words, the SAT becomes one part of a student’s file. And when we cannot decide between two students who are completely alike in every other respect, it’s a much more informed choice than throwing a die, which is deeply unfair. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But the crucial thing is what washes them out is how we use the SAT. We are not comparing a kid from an affluent background to a low-income student and saying, “Compare their SAT scores.” No, we compare students who are alike in every other respect. In other words, the SAT becomes one part of a student’s file. And when we cannot decide between two students who are completely alike in every other respect, it’s a much more informed choice than throwing a die, which is deeply unfair. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Didn’t the pandemic — and remote schooling — also have a hand in dropping performances? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Didn’t the pandemic — and remote schooling — also have a hand in dropping performances? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The overall level of math preparedness has been declining. Nobody’s questioning that. But what we are seeing here is a population of students at the very lowest level of preparedness. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The overall level of math preparedness has been declining. Nobody’s questioning that. But what we are seeing here is a population of students at the very lowest level of preparedness. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Usually what you see is kind of a bell curve. And when you’re talking about overall level shifting, you’re talking about this bell curve kind of shifting. But what we are seeing is the bell curve — it becomes kind of a U-shape. You see students who are acing our classes and students who’re hopelessly failing, and there’s nothing in the middle. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Usually what you see is kind of a bell curve. And when you’re talking about overall level shifting, you’re talking about this bell curve kind of shifting. But what we are seeing is the bell curve — it becomes kind of a U-shape. You see students who are acing our classes and students who’re hopelessly failing, and there’s nothing in the middle. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088396\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California State University, Northridge on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Couldn’t the UCs support these students through remedial college courses?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>We’re pouring a lot into remediation. However, there are certain sizes of gaps that you simply cannot fill. They just become too large. If you are asking to fill a gap from elementary and middle school, it’s just hopeless. For those students, it would take years of work in college to catch up. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>We’re pouring a lot into remediation. However, there are certain sizes of gaps that you simply cannot fill. They just become too large. If you are asking to fill a gap from elementary and middle school, it’s just hopeless. For those students, it would take years of work in college to catch up. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And California has this beautiful master plan for higher education: of community colleges, the CSUs and the UCs and pathways between them. So a student who is not as well-prepared could have a real path upward: you could go to a community college, take remedial classes and then transfer to UC. You’re not placed into this classroom where you simply have no way of succeeding because your task was impossible. It is not your failure. It’s the failure of a whole system, and we should not propagate this. We should use the SAT as a placement to put kids in the right places, to give them ladders they can climb up. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And California has this beautiful master plan for higher education: of community colleges, the CSUs and the UCs and pathways between them. So a student who is not as well-prepared could have a real path upward: you could go to a community college, take remedial classes and then transfer to UC. You’re not placed into this classroom where you simply have no way of succeeding because your task was impossible. It is not your failure. It’s the failure of a whole system, and we should not propagate this. We should use the SAT as a placement to put kids in the right places, to give them ladders they can climb up. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What was the lawsuit filed against the UCs?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lisa Holder: \u003c/strong>In 2019, \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> — along with several private and public firms in a case called Smith v. UC Regents — sued the University of California for continuing to use the SAT and the ACT as a principal criteria for UC admissions when, in fact, the social science showed that the standardized tests, particularly the SAT and the ACT, were not the best metric for assessing a student’s college readiness, even though they purported to be that. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lisa Holder: \u003c/strong>In 2019, \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> — along with several private and public firms in a case called Smith v. UC Regents — sued the University of California for continuing to use the SAT and the ACT as a principal criteria for UC admissions when, in fact, the social science showed that the standardized tests, particularly the SAT and the ACT, were not the best metric for assessing a student’s college readiness, even though they purported to be that. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The best metric, according to social scientists and psychometricians, was a student’s high school performance. Basically the classes that they took for four years. What did their teachers say about them, their student evaluations, their extracurriculars, their sports, their community involvement? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The best metric, according to social scientists and psychometricians, was a student’s high school performance. Basically the classes that they took for four years. What did their teachers say about them, their student evaluations, their extracurriculars, their sports, their community involvement? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>What was heartbreaking was seeing the clients we had in the Smith case who were incredible students. Many of them were students of color, disabled students and students that did not have a lot of money. And so they had no access to test prep, but they were straight A students. We had a student who had been living in his car for four years, yet he was a straight A student. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>What was heartbreaking was seeing the clients we had in the Smith case who were incredible students. Many of them were students of color, disabled students and students that did not have a lot of money. And so they had no access to test prep, but they were straight A students. We had a student who had been living in his car for four years, yet he was a straight A student. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Some would argue that accessibility to test-prep has improved thanks to online resources like Khan Academy. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Some would argue that accessibility to test-prep has improved thanks to online resources like Khan Academy. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s completely speculative. We haven’t had the test for five years, and there’s no requirement under any settlement to bring that test back. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That’s completely speculative. We haven’t had the test for five years, and there’s no requirement under any settlement to bring that test back. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>What we should be doing is looking at the data that is right in front of us. And the data is what tells us that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucop.edu/institutional-research-academic-planning/_files/admissions-outcomes-and-performance.pdf\">UC’s own studies conducted by the board\u003c/a> established that students admitted in the last five years under the test-free policy are equally — if not more — qualified and prepared than the previous students. And that this test-free policy is much more aligned with the UC’s mission, which is to offer high-quality, publicly funded education to California’s best students, not its wealthiest students. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>What we should be doing is looking at the data that is right in front of us. And the data is what tells us that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucop.edu/institutional-research-academic-planning/_files/admissions-outcomes-and-performance.pdf\">UC’s own studies conducted by the board\u003c/a> established that students admitted in the last five years under the test-free policy are equally — if not more — qualified and prepared than the previous students. And that this test-free policy is much more aligned with the UC’s mission, which is to offer high-quality, publicly funded education to California’s best students, not its wealthiest students. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This is a publicly funded university system, and everyone, regardless of income, is paying taxes to fund it. All high-performing California students should be able to access this school without obstruction from a gatekeeper test calibrated to measure for wealth rather than excellence. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This is a publicly funded university system, and everyone, regardless of income, is paying taxes to fund it. All high-performing California students should be able to access this school without obstruction from a gatekeeper test calibrated to measure for wealth rather than excellence. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do you say in response to concerns being raised by professors like Aganagic? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The achievement lapses that folks may be seeing are much more likely attributable to this generation’s addiction to mobile phones and their scattered focus, their literacy deficits and sort of shrinking attention spans caused by mobile phone usage and AI addiction. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The achievement lapses that folks may be seeing are much more likely attributable to this generation’s addiction to mobile phones and their scattered focus, their literacy deficits and sort of shrinking attention spans caused by mobile phone usage and AI addiction. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s a much larger systemic problem that we have to start to think about pedagogically in all of our schools. Also, what we’re seeing in this cohort of students is also largely impacted by the missed learning opportunities that they experienced during COVID. Some students were out of school for a year and a half, and so I’m sure that their math preparation may have suffered. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That’s a much larger systemic problem that we have to start to think about pedagogically in all of our schools. Also, what we’re seeing in this cohort of students is also largely impacted by the missed learning opportunities that they experienced during COVID. Some students were out of school for a year and a half, and so I’m sure that their math preparation may have suffered. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And frankly, we have a lot of really lackluster curricula around STEM in our high schools. And so, students may not be excelling as much as they could be if we were to modernize our systems and sort of keep up with what’s going on globally around STEM. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And frankly, we have a lot of really lackluster curricula around STEM in our high schools. And so, students may not be excelling as much as they could be if we were to modernize our systems and sort of keep up with what’s going on globally around STEM. \u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Behind the Testing Debate",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What have some of the effects been of waiving the test requirement?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What have some of the effects been of waiving the test requirement?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Felicia Mello: \u003c/strong>UC’s data actually showed that they saw a big bump in applications right after going test-optional. In the first year, applications went up about 19%. And you also start to see a slight increase in diversity of both the people who are applying and the people who are getting in. In terms of performance, the official UC stats don’t show a huge difference. They show that persistence — meaning students who remained in college from the first year to the second year — was largely flat during that time. First-year GPAs ticked down very slightly. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Felicia Mello: \u003c/strong>UC’s data actually showed that they saw a big bump in applications right after going test-optional. In the first year, applications went up about 19%. And you also start to see a slight increase in diversity of both the people who are applying and the people who are getting in. In terms of performance, the official UC stats don’t show a huge difference. They show that persistence — meaning students who remained in college from the first year to the second year — was largely flat during that time. First-year GPAs ticked down very slightly. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I am really just speaking to kind of what we saw right after the change went into effect in 2021. But the picture painted by the overall UC data is not as grim as the one that is being put forward by faculty on some campuses. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>I am really just speaking to kind of what we saw right after the change went into effect in 2021. But the picture painted by the overall UC data is not as grim as the one that is being put forward by faculty on some campuses. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How would you characterize the support for the faculty letters? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How would you characterize the support for the faculty letters? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>We have about 3,000 UC faculty out of roughly 26,000 who have signed on to one of these letters, either the letter from STEM faculty or the letter from social sciences and humanities faculty. We have seen the STEM faculty be much more out front on this. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>We have about 3,000 UC faculty out of roughly 26,000 who have signed on to one of these letters, either the letter from STEM faculty or the letter from social sciences and humanities faculty. We have seen the STEM faculty be much more out front on this. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The social sciences and humanities faculty who have come out in favor of this mentioned that having a good quantitative background is also important for social science classes like economics. There also is clearly some concern around students’ writing skills — that the rise of AI has made it harder to tell, even from students’ applications, whether they’re writing them themselves, and it also just has the potential to constrain what students are learning in terms of writing and communication in general. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The social sciences and humanities faculty who have come out in favor of this mentioned that having a good quantitative background is also important for social science classes like economics. There also is clearly some concern around students’ writing skills — that the rise of AI has made it harder to tell, even from students’ applications, whether they’re writing them themselves, and it also just has the potential to constrain what students are learning in terms of writing and communication in general. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The UC Berkeley math faculty — who had really been pushing via this open letter for the return of the SAT — had done their own analysis of numbers in introductory calculus classes. And they found that between 2021 and 2023, after UC got rid of the SAT and admissions, there was a big jump in students who were severely underprepared for that introductory calculus course. But unfortunately, because we only have those three years of data, they weren’t giving the same test prior to or after that. It is a bit hard to put that data in context. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The UC Berkeley math faculty — who had really been pushing via this open letter for the return of the SAT — had done their own analysis of numbers in introductory calculus classes. And they found that between 2021 and 2023, after UC got rid of the SAT and admissions, there was a big jump in students who were severely underprepared for that introductory calculus course. But unfortunately, because we only have those three years of data, they weren’t giving the same test prior to or after that. It is a bit hard to put that data in context. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Supporters of reinstating the requirement say that the tests would be used in a holistic approach. How true is that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Supporters of reinstating the requirement say that the tests would be used in a holistic approach. How true is that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The UC actually does consider 13 different factors in admissions currently, even separate from test scores. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The UC actually does consider 13 different factors in admissions currently, even separate from test scores. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Not just your high school GPA, but how you’re doing relative to other students in your class. It looks at the types of life circumstances you’ve had, your geographic location. Have you had a recent improvement in your performance? What kinds of rigorous courses have you taken? Have you taken AP courses? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Not just your high school GPA, but how you’re doing relative to other students in your class. It looks at the types of life circumstances you’ve had, your geographic location. Have you had a recent improvement in your performance? What kinds of rigorous courses have you taken? Have you taken AP courses? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There’s another factor here, which is the broader political environment, and I think there’s a concern that even if the UC brings back the test, there will be pressure then on the UC to focus more narrowly on the task and abandon some of the more holistic aspects of its review. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There’s another factor here, which is the broader political environment, and I think there’s a concern that even if the UC brings back the test, there will be pressure then on the UC to focus more narrowly on the task and abandon some of the more holistic aspects of its review. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has certainly been pressuring universities to not pay much attention to the diversity of their classes and not intentionally try to enroll a diverse student body. There’s a concern that this could be seized on by outside actors to try and do an analysis of the university’s admission policies that would focus really narrowly on those test scores. Now, whether that actually happens would remain to be seen.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has certainly been pressuring universities to not pay much attention to the diversity of their classes and not intentionally try to enroll a diverse student body. There’s a concern that this could be seized on by outside actors to try and do an analysis of the university’s admission policies that would focus really narrowly on those test scores. Now, whether that actually happens would remain to be seen.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Equity advocates have also said in the past that, for different reasons, even if you go test-optional, it’s still sending a signal whether those students choose to submit their scores or not, and that could still affect their application.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Equity advocates have also said in the past that, for different reasons, even if you go test-optional, it’s still sending a signal whether those students choose to submit their scores or not, and that could still affect their application.\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "The Next Steps",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: The UC is saying that they will study and make a decision on whether to bring back the testing requirement a year from now. How likely is it that they will bring it back?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: The UC is saying that they will study and make a decision on whether to bring back the testing requirement a year from now. How likely is it that they will bring it back?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mello: \u003c/strong>This is something that was actually in the works even before these open letters. We’ve seen a number of factors that have changed since 2020: We have seen shifts in AI and how it affects the application process. Some of those concerns related to the pandemic are no longer there in the same way. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mello: \u003c/strong>This is something that was actually in the works even before these open letters. We’ve seen a number of factors that have changed since 2020: We have seen shifts in AI and how it affects the application process. Some of those concerns related to the pandemic are no longer there in the same way. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There’s a lot of pressure to make this decision more quickly. The Faculty Senate had laid out this process of coming to a recommendation by fall 2027. The faculty had originally laid out a plan: They said, we’re going to study this, and the earliest that we could make a decision under this very detailed road map would be for people who are applying in fall of 2028.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There’s a lot of pressure to make this decision more quickly. The Faculty Senate had laid out this process of coming to a recommendation by fall 2027. The faculty had originally laid out a plan: They said, we’re going to study this, and the earliest that we could make a decision under this very detailed road map would be for people who are applying in fall of 2028.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They have since rescinded that detailed timeline. All we know at this point is that they’re going to make their recommendation by June. That creates some potential anxiety for this year’s incoming high school juniors. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>They have since rescinded that detailed timeline. All we know at this point is that they’re going to make their recommendation by June. That creates some potential anxiety for this year’s incoming high school juniors. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Who decides to bring back standardized testing?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The regents will really make the ultimate call on this. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The most interesting part of the regents meeting was the chair of the Board of Regents saying that she really felt like the public discussion around this has been too narrowly focused on standardized testing and that the university really needs to take a broader look at what it means to be ready for college in 2026. So this will include things like looking at the high school courses that UC requires people to have when they’re applying. Right now, there’s not a requirement for computer science or any other technology-related course. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The most interesting part of the regents meeting was the chair of the Board of Regents saying that she really felt like the public discussion around this has been too narrowly focused on standardized testing and that the university really needs to take a broader look at what it means to be ready for college in 2026. So this will include things like looking at the high school courses that UC requires people to have when they’re applying. Right now, there’s not a requirement for computer science or any other technology-related course. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There’s really an appetite for looking at these things more broadly. The regents are looking at, “How do we both maintain that reputation for excellence?” But also do what they are intending to do as a state university and make sure that access to the university is based on hard work and aptitude as opposed to just how much wealth your family has. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There’s really an appetite for looking at these things more broadly. The regents are looking at, “How do we both maintain that reputation for excellence?” But also do what they are intending to do as a state university and make sure that access to the university is based on hard work and aptitude as opposed to just how much wealth your family has. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092389\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Standardized test company logo seen displayed on smartphone.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is there a middle ground option for standardized testing?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There are some universities and colleges that are using the SAT more for placement purposes after people get in. So they’re essentially saying, “We don’t require this for admissions, but we either require or strongly encourage you to share scores after you get in so that we can help figure out if you’re going to be in the right math class for you.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of the things that I observe during the course of this reporting is that placement practices for math classes really vary across UC. It’s an extremely diverse system. I spoke with the math chair at UC Santa Barbara who did not sign on to this open letter in support of bringing back the SAT, and he was saying that when we identify students who may not be prepared for our introductory calculus classes, we make sure we flag that early on. We make sure that they are going to community college, and getting the kind of remedial preparation that they need, and then coming back, and those students tend to succeed in our classes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One of the things that I observe during the course of this reporting is that placement practices for math classes really vary across UC. It’s an extremely diverse system. I spoke with the math chair at UC Santa Barbara who did not sign on to this open letter in support of bringing back the SAT, and he was saying that when we identify students who may not be prepared for our introductory calculus classes, we make sure we flag that early on. We make sure that they are going to community college, and getting the kind of remedial preparation that they need, and then coming back, and those students tend to succeed in our classes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Essentially, there’s nobody I interviewed on either side that said, “Oh, we’re not dealing with any pandemic-related learning deficiencies.” There’s broad acknowledgment that our students are struggling in various ways since the pandemic, and something needs to be done. And the question is, what is the best response? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Essentially, there’s nobody I interviewed on either side that said, “Oh, we’re not dealing with any pandemic-related learning deficiencies.” There’s broad acknowledgment that our students are struggling in various ways since the pandemic, and something needs to be done. And the question is, what is the best response? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>We know it’s not just all about the pandemic, because instead of seeing everybody equally struggling, we’re seeing this concentration on both ends where some people are doing really well, some people are really struggling, and that middle category of student is dropping out.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>We know it’s not just all about the pandemic, because instead of seeing everybody equally struggling, we’re seeing this concentration on both ends where some people are doing really well, some people are really struggling, and that middle category of student is dropping out.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some researchers I talked to said that that’s really what you would expect from the impact of the pandemic because the pandemic impacted students differently. Some of them have the peace and quiet they need to study and a reliable Wi-Fi connection, and others do not. \u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "In 2020, the University of California regents voted unanimously to phase out the SAT and ACT as admission requirements. Over 3,000 faculty members are asking for it to come back.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In May 2020, the University of California regents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11820185/uc-admissions-to-phase-out-sat-and-act-requirement\">voted\u003c/a> unanimously to phase out the SAT and ACT as admission requirements. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Considered a rite of passage in high school \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/education/530951/should-colleges-still-require-the-sats-and-acts\">since the 1940s\u003c/a> for students planning to continue their education, the standardized tests were also \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/education/530951/should-colleges-still-require-the-sats-and-acts\">long criticized\u003c/a> as insufficient predictors of college performance and discriminatory to low-income students who didn’t have the same access to test-prep materials and classes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The UC system wasn’t alone. At the end of 2021, Harvard University announced it would waive \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/harvard-test-optional-sat-act-scores-college-admission/\">the testing requirement through 2026.\u003c/a> Institutions like \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/standardized-tests.html\">New York University\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/application/required-materials/\">University of Chicago\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.nd.edu/apply/\">Notre Dame University\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.northwestern.edu/faqs/standardized-testing-policy/\">Northwestern University\u003c/a> are all currently test-optional for this application cycle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11996136\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The UCLA campus in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2022. \u003cbr> (Raquel Natalicchio for CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But tides are shifting for these schools — and possibly for the UCs, too. Over the summer, more than 3,000 faculty members at University of California schools have signed \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">a pair of open letters\u003c/a> supporting admissions testing. \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">One letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 2,300 people — called for the return of the mathematics test for STEM majors, saying that testing is a “critical baseline” and “a common external check that students have the core mathematical fluency required for university-level STEM coursework.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The SAT/ACT mathematics requirement is not an obstacle to equity; rather, it is a prerequisite for it,” the letter reads. “Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom, where they become harder to overcome.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What fairness looks like\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>2020 was also a year when the country was in the middle of a “racial justice reckoning” after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/george-floyd\">the killing of George Floyd by police officers\u003c/a>, explained \u003cem>Berkeleyside \u003c/em>higher education reporter Felicia Mello on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914438/should-the-ucs-reinstate-the-sat\">KQED’s Forum\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was a lot of discussion about equity happening,” Mello said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She also added that a year prior, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/09/30/914061484/lies-money-and-cheating-the-deeper-story-of-the-college-admissions-scandal\">the infamous Varsity Blues college admissions scandal\u003c/a> took place, in which federal authorities cracked down on wealthy parents who had been cheating the application process through bribes and rigged standardized test scores. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED.jpg?ver=1706236237\" alt=\"A bald person with glasses speaks into a microphone at a long table.\" class=\"wp-image-11973813\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">UC President Michael Drake (center) announces the UC Board of Regents’ vote not to consider a proposal to allow the university to hire undocumented students at a UC Board of Regents meeting at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center on Jan. 25, 2024. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Board of Regents then took the decision first to go test-optional and eventually ended up going completely test-blind, and that’s the situation that we’ve been in since then,” Mello said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, after the UCs went test-optional in 2020, “we saw students thoroughly unprepared to take math in college,” said co-author of the STEM faculty letter, Mina Aganagic — a professor of mathematics and physics at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re not saying that these kids didn’t take pre-calc or calc or they haven’t mastered that,” she argued. “The issue is at a much, much earlier level. Students who struggle with material that’s taught in elementary and middle school.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And for those students, helping them learn calculus is really literally an impossible task,” she said. “So it was heartbreaking seeing so many students struggle.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/socscihum/\">other letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 900 people — argued for bringing back the reading and writing portion of the SAT and ACT, echoing similar sentiments from STEM faculty members. The humanities faculty members also remarked on \u003ca href=\"https://www.404media.co/teachers-are-not-ok-ai-chatgpt/\">the rise of AI use among students\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As artificial intelligence becomes more capable, it is arguably more important than ever for students to be able to think through and compose sound arguments on their own, to comprehend the texts they read and to recognize weaknesses in the arguments of those texts,” the social sciences letter reads. “The growing use of AI also makes essays a less reliable indicator of these abilities.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, critics of the SAT and ACT requirements emphasize the disadvantage under-resourced students face and note that the letter’s signatories are a small portion of the large UC faculty.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The problem was that the SAT itself was basically a test that was really about assessing someone’s socioeconomic status,” said Lisa Holder, an \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> civil rights attorney who helped \u003ca href=\"https://publiccounsel.org/our-cases/smith-v-regents-of-university-of-california/\">file a lawsuit\u003c/a> to end the use of SAT and ACT in UC admissions, which ended in a settlement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1469\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092383\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965-1536x1140.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of a pencil on a page of an SAT college entrance exam preparation book, taken on Aug., 6, 2017, in Melville, New York. (Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The metric that that test actually excelled at measuring was your access to test prep. And that is correlated to wealth,” she said. “This is one snapshot, a day in the life of an individual, as opposed to four years of a high-performing, high-achieving student who is striving.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Stephanie, a high school teacher at a college prep school, wrote into Forum saying she was against reinstating the SAT.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I see how much time and money the wealthy students at my school spend on test prep, and it’s egregious,” she said. “The test prep courses and private tutors don’t teach students the material. They teach them how to game the system.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Another listener, who said they are a UC Merced professor, wrote on Forum’s Discord channel that many of the signatures came from “faculty at the three most selective campuses like Berkeley, UCLA and San Diego.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We educate a much higher share of students who need remedial math or writing,” they wrote. “Instead of trying to weed those students out, our approach has been to provide them with additional support and help them catch up.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1129\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11.jpg\" alt=\"A sign marking the entrance to UC Merced.\" class=\"wp-image-10747399\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-400x235.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-800x470.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-1440x847.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-1180x694.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-960x565.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign marking the entrance to UC Merced. (Lance Johnson/Flickr)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, an audience member who said they were a math tutor for two decades also pointed out that “kids trying to learn calculus couldn’t add two fractions efficiently, so I stopped tutoring calculus altogether. It was too much hassle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you wish to compete in the world, boost standards. Universities are not designed for remedial education.” Another told Forum that as a Northern California teacher who worked in \u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what-is-standards-based-grading-and-how-does-it-work/2024/09\">a standards-based grading school\u003c/a>, “All of my co-teachers agreed that this made grades very inflated. Students graduated shockingly ill-prepared for college, but their grades looked great.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Read on to learn more about Forum’s conversation with experts and reporters on the debate around standardized testing in California’s public higher education system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Arguments for Standardized Testing \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What are professors who signed the letter seeing in classrooms?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Aganagic\u003c/strong>: You’d see enormous amounts of stress on the students. You’d see students who try to take the class three times, and they’re failing again. And they say, “I’ve done everything,” and they have done everything. But the task put in front of them is to cover a multi-year gap in one college calculus class together with 400 to 700 other students. It is simply impossible. It’s sort of like I asked you to climb a wall with no footholds at all. A mathematical genius could not do that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why is standardized testing the best way to measure that readiness for college-level work?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>First, most of the SAT actually focuses on the kind of math that’s taught in middle school. I don’t mean acing it, but you will be able to do all right. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The other absolutely crucial thing to understand is how UC uses the SAT. UC was never providing a linear ranking of students and then saying, “We’ll take those with top SAT scores.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What we will do is the following: Let’s say you take two students from a poor Black neighborhood. They’re going to the same high school. We have grade inflation. Both of these kids ace their math class. And we have to pick one. How are you going to pick? Right now, if we have to pick one, it’s going to be a random choice. In fact, Berkeley doesn’t even take teachers’ recommendations into account. What we are asking for is, “Give us the SAT score.” It will allow us to make an informed choice. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1385\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092386\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780-1536x1074.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SAT preparation books sit on a shelf at a Barnes and Noble store June 27, 2002 in New York City. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>There’s also the \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://smarterbalanced.org/our-system/students-and-families/samples/\">\u003cstrong>Smarter Balanced Test\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> that all California public high school juniors have to take. Would that be a reliable measure?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Certainly having something would be better than having nothing at all. But one problem is purely technical — test problems leaking. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And right now, Smarter Balanced is intended to assess how schools are doing. It’s not designed as a high-stakes test. And converting it to one would require huge resources just to achieve the same thing the SAT is already doing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do you say to critics of standardized testing, who say scores track closely with income and racial disparities? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Every measure we have, including Smarter Balanced, already has in it, baked, these inequities. There’s just simply no way around it. The SAT is no better, no worse than any other measure we had. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the crucial thing is what washes them out is how we use the SAT. We are not comparing a kid from an affluent background to a low-income student and saying, “Compare their SAT scores.” No, we compare students who are alike in every other respect. In other words, the SAT becomes one part of a student’s file. And when we cannot decide between two students who are completely alike in every other respect, it’s a much more informed choice than throwing a die, which is deeply unfair. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Didn’t the pandemic — and remote schooling — also have a hand in dropping performances? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The overall level of math preparedness has been declining. Nobody’s questioning that. But what we are seeing here is a population of students at the very lowest level of preparedness. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Usually what you see is kind of a bell curve. And when you’re talking about overall level shifting, you’re talking about this bell curve kind of shifting. But what we are seeing is the bell curve — it becomes kind of a U-shape. You see students who are acing our classes and students who’re hopelessly failing, and there’s nothing in the middle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088396\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California State University, Northridge on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Couldn’t the UCs support these students through remedial college courses?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We’re pouring a lot into remediation. However, there are certain sizes of gaps that you simply cannot fill. They just become too large. If you are asking to fill a gap from elementary and middle school, it’s just hopeless. For those students, it would take years of work in college to catch up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And California has this beautiful master plan for higher education: of community colleges, the CSUs and the UCs and pathways between them. So a student who is not as well-prepared could have a real path upward: you could go to a community college, take remedial classes and then transfer to UC. You’re not placed into this classroom where you simply have no way of succeeding because your task was impossible. It is not your failure. It’s the failure of a whole system, and we should not propagate this. We should use the SAT as a placement to put kids in the right places, to give them ladders they can climb up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>The Arguments Against Standardized Testing \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What was the lawsuit filed against the UCs?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lisa Holder: \u003c/strong>In 2019, \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> — along with several private and public firms in a case called Smith v. UC Regents — sued the University of California for continuing to use the SAT and the ACT as a principal criteria for UC admissions when, in fact, the social science showed that the standardized tests, particularly the SAT and the ACT, were not the best metric for assessing a student’s college readiness, even though they purported to be that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The best metric, according to social scientists and psychometricians, was a student’s high school performance. Basically the classes that they took for four years. What did their teachers say about them, their student evaluations, their extracurriculars, their sports, their community involvement? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What was heartbreaking was seeing the clients we had in the Smith case who were incredible students. Many of them were students of color, disabled students and students that did not have a lot of money. And so they had no access to test prep, but they were straight A students. We had a student who had been living in his car for four years, yet he was a straight A student. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Some would argue that accessibility to test-prep has improved thanks to online resources like Khan Academy. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s completely speculative. We haven’t had the test for five years, and there’s no requirement under any settlement to bring that test back. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What we should be doing is looking at the data that is right in front of us. And the data is what tells us that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucop.edu/institutional-research-academic-planning/_files/admissions-outcomes-and-performance.pdf\">UC’s own studies conducted by the board\u003c/a> established that students admitted in the last five years under the test-free policy are equally — if not more — qualified and prepared than the previous students. And that this test-free policy is much more aligned with the UC’s mission, which is to offer high-quality, publicly funded education to California’s best students, not its wealthiest students. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is a publicly funded university system, and everyone, regardless of income, is paying taxes to fund it. All high-performing California students should be able to access this school without obstruction from a gatekeeper test calibrated to measure for wealth rather than excellence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do you say in response to concerns being raised by professors like Aganagic? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The achievement lapses that folks may be seeing are much more likely attributable to this generation’s addiction to mobile phones and their scattered focus, their literacy deficits and sort of shrinking attention spans caused by mobile phone usage and AI addiction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s a much larger systemic problem that we have to start to think about pedagogically in all of our schools. Also, what we’re seeing in this cohort of students is also largely impacted by the missed learning opportunities that they experienced during COVID. Some students were out of school for a year and a half, and so I’m sure that their math preparation may have suffered. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And frankly, we have a lot of really lackluster curricula around STEM in our high schools. And so, students may not be excelling as much as they could be if we were to modernize our systems and sort of keep up with what’s going on globally around STEM. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12050458\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Back view of large group of students sitting in the classroom and listening to their teacher. (Skynesher/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Behind the Testing Debate\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What have some of the effects been of waiving the test requirement?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Felicia Mello: \u003c/strong>UC’s data actually showed that they saw a big bump in applications right after going test-optional. In the first year, applications went up about 19%. And you also start to see a slight increase in diversity of both the people who are applying and the people who are getting in. In terms of performance, the official UC stats don’t show a huge difference. They show that persistence — meaning students who remained in college from the first year to the second year — was largely flat during that time. First-year GPAs ticked down very slightly. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I am really just speaking to kind of what we saw right after the change went into effect in 2021. But the picture painted by the overall UC data is not as grim as the one that is being put forward by faculty on some campuses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How would you characterize the support for the faculty letters? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We have about 3,000 UC faculty out of roughly 26,000 who have signed on to one of these letters, either the letter from STEM faculty or the letter from social sciences and humanities faculty. We have seen the STEM faculty be much more out front on this. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The social sciences and humanities faculty who have come out in favor of this mentioned that having a good quantitative background is also important for social science classes like economics. There also is clearly some concern around students’ writing skills — that the rise of AI has made it harder to tell, even from students’ applications, whether they’re writing them themselves, and it also just has the potential to constrain what students are learning in terms of writing and communication in general. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The UC Berkeley math faculty — who had really been pushing via this open letter for the return of the SAT — had done their own analysis of numbers in introductory calculus classes. And they found that between 2021 and 2023, after UC got rid of the SAT and admissions, there was a big jump in students who were severely underprepared for that introductory calculus course. But unfortunately, because we only have those three years of data, they weren’t giving the same test prior to or after that. It is a bit hard to put that data in context. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Supporters of reinstating the requirement say that the tests would be used in a holistic approach. How true is that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The UC actually does consider 13 different factors in admissions currently, even separate from test scores. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Not just your high school GPA, but how you’re doing relative to other students in your class. It looks at the types of life circumstances you’ve had, your geographic location. Have you had a recent improvement in your performance? What kinds of rigorous courses have you taken? Have you taken AP courses? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s another factor here, which is the broader political environment, and I think there’s a concern that even if the UC brings back the test, there will be pressure then on the UC to focus more narrowly on the task and abandon some of the more holistic aspects of its review. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has certainly been pressuring universities to not pay much attention to the diversity of their classes and not intentionally try to enroll a diverse student body. There’s a concern that this could be seized on by outside actors to try and do an analysis of the university’s admission policies that would focus really narrowly on those test scores. Now, whether that actually happens would remain to be seen.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Equity advocates have also said in the past that, for different reasons, even if you go test-optional, it’s still sending a signal whether those students choose to submit their scores or not, and that could still affect their application.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Next Steps\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: The UC is saying that they will study and make a decision on whether to bring back the testing requirement a year from now. How likely is it that they will bring it back?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mello: \u003c/strong>This is something that was actually in the works even before these open letters. We’ve seen a number of factors that have changed since 2020: We have seen shifts in AI and how it affects the application process. Some of those concerns related to the pandemic are no longer there in the same way. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s a lot of pressure to make this decision more quickly. The Faculty Senate had laid out this process of coming to a recommendation by fall 2027. The faculty had originally laid out a plan: They said, we’re going to study this, and the earliest that we could make a decision under this very detailed road map would be for people who are applying in fall of 2028.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They have since rescinded that detailed timeline. All we know at this point is that they’re going to make their recommendation by June. That creates some potential anxiety for this year’s incoming high school juniors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Who decides to bring back standardized testing?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The regents will really make the ultimate call on this. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The most interesting part of the regents meeting was the chair of the Board of Regents saying that she really felt like the public discussion around this has been too narrowly focused on standardized testing and that the university really needs to take a broader look at what it means to be ready for college in 2026. So this will include things like looking at the high school courses that UC requires people to have when they’re applying. Right now, there’s not a requirement for computer science or any other technology-related course. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s really an appetite for looking at these things more broadly. The regents are looking at, “How do we both maintain that reputation for excellence?” But also do what they are intending to do as a state university and make sure that access to the university is based on hard work and aptitude as opposed to just how much wealth your family has. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1485\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092389\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Standardized test company logo seen displayed on smartphone. (Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is there a middle ground option for standardized testing?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are some universities and colleges that are using the SAT more for placement purposes after people get in. So they’re essentially saying, “We don’t require this for admissions, but we either require or strongly encourage you to share scores after you get in so that we can help figure out if you’re going to be in the right math class for you.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the things that I observe during the course of this reporting is that placement practices for math classes really vary across UC. It’s an extremely diverse system. I spoke with the math chair at UC Santa Barbara who did not sign on to this open letter in support of bringing back the SAT, and he was saying that when we identify students who may not be prepared for our introductory calculus classes, we make sure we flag that early on. We make sure that they are going to community college, and getting the kind of remedial preparation that they need, and then coming back, and those students tend to succeed in our classes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Wouldn’t the effects of the pandemic also be a major factor in student performance?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Essentially, there’s nobody I interviewed on either side that said, “Oh, we’re not dealing with any pandemic-related learning deficiencies.” There’s broad acknowledgment that our students are struggling in various ways since the pandemic, and something needs to be done. And the question is, what is the best response? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We know it’s not just all about the pandemic, because instead of seeing everybody equally struggling, we’re seeing this concentration on both ends where some people are doing really well, some people are really struggling, and that middle category of student is dropping out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some researchers I talked to said that that’s really what you would expect from the impact of the pandemic because the pandemic impacted students differently. Some of them have the peace and quiet they need to study and a reliable Wi-Fi connection, and others do not. \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "nearly-half-of-teens-report-seeing-ai-sexual-content-bay-area-leaders-want-to-shut-it-down",
"title": "Nearly Half of Teens Report Seeing AI Sexual Content. Bay Area Leaders Want to Shut It Down",
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"headTitle": "Nearly Half of Teens Report Seeing AI Sexual Content. Bay Area Leaders Want to Shut It Down | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Sexualized images generated by artificial intelligence have flooded kids’ screens. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area \u003c/a>lawmakers are racing to crack down on sites and apps that make this possible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A new \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/teens-and-explicit-deepfakes-in-the-age-of-ai\">report\u003c/a> from Common Sense Media, a leading nonprofit researching child safety online, found that 44% of teens have seen sexual content they believe to be AI-generated — and that nearly a quarter of those who’ve seen it say they’ve seen content of themselves or of their peers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, said the report confirms what lawmakers have been warning about for years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Artificial intelligence is making it easier than ever to create fake images that are explicit images of real people, and too often young people are the victims,” Becker said on Tuesday. “It’s taken something that may have happened before — cyberbullying — and just put it on steroids.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The study followed up on the organization’s 2023 report about online pornography’s impact on teens. Its authors surveyed 1,314 teens in the U.S. and held focus groups to contextualize the numbers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"765\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1020x765.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11862704\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-536x402.jpg 536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">State Sen. Josh Becker speaks to reporters at the Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School in East Palo Alto on March 1, 2021. (Courtesy of Voler Strategic Advisors)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They found that 67% of teens feared being depicted in deepfakes — extremely realistic images, videos or audio clips showing something that never happened — without their consent. One teen surveyed in the report said that “everyone should have at least a small degree of worry because it’s so easy [to make it], so accessible, and it also feels pushed.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say that generative AI has made it easier than ever to create deepfakes. While big platforms generally have safety features to prevent making them sexually explicit, they do not \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c802ldjdklzo\">always\u003c/a> work, according to reporting from the BBC. Many users will turn instead to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12000310/san-francisco-takes-on-makers-ai-generated-deepfake-pornography-landmark-lawsuit\">smaller, anonymous\u003c/a> apps and websites to generate the content.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“AI has made a severe form of sexual harassment easy enough for almost any kid with a phone to carry out,” said Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kids can be targeted by deepfakes as early as elementary school, and especially in middle school and high school, said Emma Le, the head of operations at the Center for Gender Equitable AI, a youth-led organization addressing gender based harms caused by emerging technologies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Le said that most deepfakes target women and that they have “huge consequences on girls’ mental health,” causing some to leave school, experience depression and contemplate self-harm. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More and more teens are scaling back their online activity to protect themselves from being deepfaked, according to Steyer. Le also said that deepfakes are linked to an increase in gender-based harassment that’s driving women and girls away from online platforms — a key public sphere for many. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Girls are withdrawing from the public eye,” Le said. “That’s going to have huge consequences in the future for women’s rights, women’s empowerment.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Surveyed teens reported seeing this explicit AI content across platforms including, but not limited to, TikTok, Instagram and X. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While teens may see the content on big platforms, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said that small, often anonymous and sometimes international companies are the ones that produce so-called “nudify” tools — AI-driven apps and websites that allow users to make sexually explicit deepfakes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because you can’t determine which website or app generated an image, “victims often have no recourse,” Chiu said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Once the images are distributed, you can’t control where they go,” Chiu said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Le emphasized that because the images cannot be completely scrubbed, victims of these crimes can worry about the images popping up again, especially if they have a job in the public eye. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/TeenagersMetaSocialMediaGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084574\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/TeenagersMetaSocialMediaGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/TeenagersMetaSocialMediaGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/TeenagersMetaSocialMediaGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A 14-year-old boy holds an iPhone with various social media and messaging apps on Feb. 23, 2026. (Anna Barclay/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lawmakers at every level are working to tackle this issue. Last year, Congress passed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/146\">Take It Down Act\u003c/a> — prohibiting the nonconsensual publication of explicit images and requiring online platforms to establish reporting systems and remove the images promptly. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Becker said that California has been “leading the nation” with legislation updated “for this new AI age.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the past few years, the state passed laws banning \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069808/california-investigates-elon-musks-ai-company-after-avalanche-of-complaints-about-sexual-content\">deepfake revenge porn\u003c/a> — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12000310/san-francisco-takes-on-makers-ai-generated-deepfake-pornography-landmark-lawsuit\">AI-generated child porn\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Becker described legislating in this space as a “cat and mouse game” and said that lawmakers are “going to have to keep working to make sure our laws can keep up.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, Chiu is already using these laws to hold Silicon Valley companies to account. Last week, Chiu sent Google and Apple cease-and-desist letters asking them to take down 13 apps that were being used to target women and girls. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It shouldn’t be on us to tell large technology companies that their app stores are being used to continue to victimize millions of women and girls around the globe,” Chiu said. “We are asking these companies to be proactive in preventing this abuse in the future.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A Google spokesperson said that all five apps referenced in Chiu’s letter have been suspended. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When violations are reported to us, we investigate and take swift action, which in the case of these apps has included suspending hundreds of violating apps and restricting related search terms like ‘nudify’ on our store,” the company said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for Apple said that “‘Nudification’ apps are against our App Review Guidelines and we aggressively work to identify and remove apps — as well as the developer accounts behind them — that attempt to evade our processes and policies.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Steyer urged more action from both the tech industry and from American lawmakers, but also emphasized the importance of talking to kids about this content. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As a parent or a grandparent, this is sort of your worst nightmare, but you gotta talk to your kids about it … because it’s real. The numbers speak for themselves,” Steyer said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/teens-and-explicit-deepfakes-in-the-age-of-ai\">report\u003c/a> contains advice for parents, schools and policymakers dealing with this content and these conversations.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sexualized images generated by artificial intelligence have flooded kids’ screens. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area \u003c/a>lawmakers are racing to crack down on sites and apps that make this possible. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Sexualized images generated by artificial intelligence have flooded kids’ screens. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area \u003c/a>lawmakers are racing to crack down on sites and apps that make this possible. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A new \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/teens-and-explicit-deepfakes-in-the-age-of-ai\">report\u003c/a> from Common Sense Media, a leading nonprofit researching child safety online, found that 44% of teens have seen sexual content they believe to be AI-generated — and that nearly a quarter of those who’ve seen it say they’ve seen content of themselves or of their peers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A new \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/teens-and-explicit-deepfakes-in-the-age-of-ai\">report\u003c/a> from Common Sense Media, a leading nonprofit researching child safety online, found that 44% of teens have seen sexual content they believe to be AI-generated — and that nearly a quarter of those who’ve seen it say they’ve seen content of themselves or of their peers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, said the report confirms what lawmakers have been warning about for years. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Artificial intelligence is making it easier than ever to create fake images that are explicit images of real people, and too often young people are the victims,” Becker said on Tuesday. “It’s taken something that may have happened before — cyberbullying — and just put it on steroids.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Artificial intelligence is making it easier than ever to create fake images that are explicit images of real people, and too often young people are the victims,” Becker said on Tuesday. “It’s taken something that may have happened before — cyberbullying — and just put it on steroids.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The study followed up on the organization’s 2023 report about online pornography’s impact on teens. Its authors surveyed 1,314 teens in the U.S. and held focus groups to contextualize the numbers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The study followed up on the organization’s 2023 report about online pornography’s impact on teens. Its authors surveyed 1,314 teens in the U.S. and held focus groups to contextualize the numbers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1020x765.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11862704\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-536x402.jpg 536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">State Sen. Josh Becker speaks to reporters at the Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School in East Palo Alto on March 1, 2021. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They found that 67% of teens feared being depicted in deepfakes — extremely realistic images, videos or audio clips showing something that never happened — without their consent. One teen surveyed in the report said that “everyone should have at least a small degree of worry because it’s so easy [to make it], so accessible, and it also feels pushed.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>They found that 67% of teens feared being depicted in deepfakes — extremely realistic images, videos or audio clips showing something that never happened — without their consent. One teen surveyed in the report said that “everyone should have at least a small degree of worry because it’s so easy [to make it], so accessible, and it also feels pushed.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Experts say that generative AI has made it easier than ever to create deepfakes. While big platforms generally have safety features to prevent making them sexually explicit, they do not \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c802ldjdklzo\">always\u003c/a> work, according to reporting from the BBC. Many users will turn instead to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12000310/san-francisco-takes-on-makers-ai-generated-deepfake-pornography-landmark-lawsuit\">smaller, anonymous\u003c/a> apps and websites to generate the content.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Experts say that generative AI has made it easier than ever to create deepfakes. While big platforms generally have safety features to prevent making them sexually explicit, they do not \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c802ldjdklzo\">always\u003c/a> work, according to reporting from the BBC. Many users will turn instead to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12000310/san-francisco-takes-on-makers-ai-generated-deepfake-pornography-landmark-lawsuit\">smaller, anonymous\u003c/a> apps and websites to generate the content.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“AI has made a severe form of sexual harassment easy enough for almost any kid with a phone to carry out,” said Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“AI has made a severe form of sexual harassment easy enough for almost any kid with a phone to carry out,” said Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kids can be targeted by deepfakes as early as elementary school, and especially in middle school and high school, said Emma Le, the head of operations at the Center for Gender Equitable AI, a youth-led organization addressing gender based harms caused by emerging technologies. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Kids can be targeted by deepfakes as early as elementary school, and especially in middle school and high school, said Emma Le, the head of operations at the Center for Gender Equitable AI, a youth-led organization addressing gender based harms caused by emerging technologies. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Le said that most deepfakes target women and that they have “huge consequences on girls’ mental health,” causing some to leave school, experience depression and contemplate self-harm. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>More and more teens are scaling back their online activity to protect themselves from being deepfaked, according to Steyer. Le also said that deepfakes are linked to an increase in gender-based harassment that’s driving women and girls away from online platforms — a key public sphere for many. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>More and more teens are scaling back their online activity to protect themselves from being deepfaked, according to Steyer. Le also said that deepfakes are linked to an increase in gender-based harassment that’s driving women and girls away from online platforms — a key public sphere for many. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Girls are withdrawing from the public eye,” Le said. “That’s going to have huge consequences in the future for women’s rights, women’s empowerment.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Surveyed teens reported seeing this explicit AI content across platforms including, but not limited to, TikTok, Instagram and X. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Surveyed teens reported seeing this explicit AI content across platforms including, but not limited to, TikTok, Instagram and X. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While teens may see the content on big platforms, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said that small, often anonymous and sometimes international companies are the ones that produce so-called “nudify” tools — AI-driven apps and websites that allow users to make sexually explicit deepfakes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While teens may see the content on big platforms, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said that small, often anonymous and sometimes international companies are the ones that produce so-called “nudify” tools — AI-driven apps and websites that allow users to make sexually explicit deepfakes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Because you can’t determine which website or app generated an image, “victims often have no recourse,” Chiu said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Because you can’t determine which website or app generated an image, “victims often have no recourse,” Chiu said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Once the images are distributed, you can’t control where they go,” Chiu said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Once the images are distributed, you can’t control where they go,” Chiu said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Le emphasized that because the images cannot be completely scrubbed, victims of these crimes can worry about the images popping up again, especially if they have a job in the public eye. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Le emphasized that because the images cannot be completely scrubbed, victims of these crimes can worry about the images popping up again, especially if they have a job in the public eye. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/TeenagersMetaSocialMediaGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084574\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/TeenagersMetaSocialMediaGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/TeenagersMetaSocialMediaGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/TeenagersMetaSocialMediaGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A 14-year-old boy holds an iPhone with various social media and messaging apps on Feb. 23, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lawmakers at every level are working to tackle this issue. Last year, Congress passed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/146\">Take It Down Act\u003c/a> — prohibiting the nonconsensual publication of explicit images and requiring online platforms to establish reporting systems and remove the images promptly. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Lawmakers at every level are working to tackle this issue. Last year, Congress passed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/146\">Take It Down Act\u003c/a> — prohibiting the nonconsensual publication of explicit images and requiring online platforms to establish reporting systems and remove the images promptly. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Becker said that California has been “leading the nation” with legislation updated “for this new AI age.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Over the past few years, the state passed laws banning \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069808/california-investigates-elon-musks-ai-company-after-avalanche-of-complaints-about-sexual-content\">deepfake revenge porn\u003c/a> — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12000310/san-francisco-takes-on-makers-ai-generated-deepfake-pornography-landmark-lawsuit\">AI-generated child porn\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Over the past few years, the state passed laws banning \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069808/california-investigates-elon-musks-ai-company-after-avalanche-of-complaints-about-sexual-content\">deepfake revenge porn\u003c/a> — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12000310/san-francisco-takes-on-makers-ai-generated-deepfake-pornography-landmark-lawsuit\">AI-generated child porn\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Becker described legislating in this space as a “cat and mouse game” and said that lawmakers are “going to have to keep working to make sure our laws can keep up.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Becker described legislating in this space as a “cat and mouse game” and said that lawmakers are “going to have to keep working to make sure our laws can keep up.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, Chiu is already using these laws to hold Silicon Valley companies to account. Last week, Chiu sent Google and Apple cease-and-desist letters asking them to take down 13 apps that were being used to target women and girls. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, Chiu is already using these laws to hold Silicon Valley companies to account. Last week, Chiu sent Google and Apple cease-and-desist letters asking them to take down 13 apps that were being used to target women and girls. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It shouldn’t be on us to tell large technology companies that their app stores are being used to continue to victimize millions of women and girls around the globe,” Chiu said. “We are asking these companies to be proactive in preventing this abuse in the future.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It shouldn’t be on us to tell large technology companies that their app stores are being used to continue to victimize millions of women and girls around the globe,” Chiu said. “We are asking these companies to be proactive in preventing this abuse in the future.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A Google spokesperson said that all five apps referenced in Chiu’s letter have been suspended. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When violations are reported to us, we investigate and take swift action, which in the case of these apps has included suspending hundreds of violating apps and restricting related search terms like ‘nudify’ on our store,” the company said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“When violations are reported to us, we investigate and take swift action, which in the case of these apps has included suspending hundreds of violating apps and restricting related search terms like ‘nudify’ on our store,” the company said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "One in five teens has either made sexually explicit content with AI or knows someone who has.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Sexualized images generated by artificial intelligence have flooded kids’ screens. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area \u003c/a>lawmakers are racing to crack down on sites and apps that make this possible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A new \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/teens-and-explicit-deepfakes-in-the-age-of-ai\">report\u003c/a> from Common Sense Media, a leading nonprofit researching child safety online, found that 44% of teens have seen sexual content they believe to be AI-generated — and that nearly a quarter of those who’ve seen it say they’ve seen content of themselves or of their peers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, said the report confirms what lawmakers have been warning about for years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Artificial intelligence is making it easier than ever to create fake images that are explicit images of real people, and too often young people are the victims,” Becker said on Tuesday. “It’s taken something that may have happened before — cyberbullying — and just put it on steroids.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The study followed up on the organization’s 2023 report about online pornography’s impact on teens. Its authors surveyed 1,314 teens in the U.S. and held focus groups to contextualize the numbers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"765\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1020x765.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11862704\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut-536x402.jpg 536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/RS47488_IMG_5843-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">State Sen. Josh Becker speaks to reporters at the Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School in East Palo Alto on March 1, 2021. (Courtesy of Voler Strategic Advisors)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They found that 67% of teens feared being depicted in deepfakes — extremely realistic images, videos or audio clips showing something that never happened — without their consent. One teen surveyed in the report said that “everyone should have at least a small degree of worry because it’s so easy [to make it], so accessible, and it also feels pushed.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say that generative AI has made it easier than ever to create deepfakes. While big platforms generally have safety features to prevent making them sexually explicit, they do not \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c802ldjdklzo\">always\u003c/a> work, according to reporting from the BBC. Many users will turn instead to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12000310/san-francisco-takes-on-makers-ai-generated-deepfake-pornography-landmark-lawsuit\">smaller, anonymous\u003c/a> apps and websites to generate the content.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“AI has made a severe form of sexual harassment easy enough for almost any kid with a phone to carry out,” said Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kids can be targeted by deepfakes as early as elementary school, and especially in middle school and high school, said Emma Le, the head of operations at the Center for Gender Equitable AI, a youth-led organization addressing gender based harms caused by emerging technologies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Le said that most deepfakes target women and that they have “huge consequences on girls’ mental health,” causing some to leave school, experience depression and contemplate self-harm. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More and more teens are scaling back their online activity to protect themselves from being deepfaked, according to Steyer. Le also said that deepfakes are linked to an increase in gender-based harassment that’s driving women and girls away from online platforms — a key public sphere for many. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Girls are withdrawing from the public eye,” Le said. “That’s going to have huge consequences in the future for women’s rights, women’s empowerment.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Surveyed teens reported seeing this explicit AI content across platforms including, but not limited to, TikTok, Instagram and X. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While teens may see the content on big platforms, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said that small, often anonymous and sometimes international companies are the ones that produce so-called “nudify” tools — AI-driven apps and websites that allow users to make sexually explicit deepfakes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because you can’t determine which website or app generated an image, “victims often have no recourse,” Chiu said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Once the images are distributed, you can’t control where they go,” Chiu said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Le emphasized that because the images cannot be completely scrubbed, victims of these crimes can worry about the images popping up again, especially if they have a job in the public eye. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/TeenagersMetaSocialMediaGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084574\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/TeenagersMetaSocialMediaGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/TeenagersMetaSocialMediaGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/TeenagersMetaSocialMediaGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A 14-year-old boy holds an iPhone with various social media and messaging apps on Feb. 23, 2026. (Anna Barclay/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lawmakers at every level are working to tackle this issue. Last year, Congress passed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/146\">Take It Down Act\u003c/a> — prohibiting the nonconsensual publication of explicit images and requiring online platforms to establish reporting systems and remove the images promptly. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Becker said that California has been “leading the nation” with legislation updated “for this new AI age.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the past few years, the state passed laws banning \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069808/california-investigates-elon-musks-ai-company-after-avalanche-of-complaints-about-sexual-content\">deepfake revenge porn\u003c/a> — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12000310/san-francisco-takes-on-makers-ai-generated-deepfake-pornography-landmark-lawsuit\">AI-generated child porn\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Becker described legislating in this space as a “cat and mouse game” and said that lawmakers are “going to have to keep working to make sure our laws can keep up.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, Chiu is already using these laws to hold Silicon Valley companies to account. Last week, Chiu sent Google and Apple cease-and-desist letters asking them to take down 13 apps that were being used to target women and girls. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It shouldn’t be on us to tell large technology companies that their app stores are being used to continue to victimize millions of women and girls around the globe,” Chiu said. “We are asking these companies to be proactive in preventing this abuse in the future.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A Google spokesperson said that all five apps referenced in Chiu’s letter have been suspended. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When violations are reported to us, we investigate and take swift action, which in the case of these apps has included suspending hundreds of violating apps and restricting related search terms like ‘nudify’ on our store,” the company said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for Apple said that “‘Nudification’ apps are against our App Review Guidelines and we aggressively work to identify and remove apps — as well as the developer accounts behind them — that attempt to evade our processes and policies.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Steyer urged more action from both the tech industry and from American lawmakers, but also emphasized the importance of talking to kids about this content. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As a parent or a grandparent, this is sort of your worst nightmare, but you gotta talk to your kids about it … because it’s real. The numbers speak for themselves,” Steyer said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Little Fire in East Bay: Crews Halt Spread, No Structures Damaged, Pleasanton Mayor Says",
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"content": "\u003cp>Fire crews are continuing to fight a wildfire in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/alameda-county\">Alameda County\u003c/a> on Wednesday morning, after halting the forward spread of the blaze overnight. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Little Fire, which has reached just over 1,000 acres, is 40% contained, according to Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit spokesperson Raul Medina. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Medina said that evacuation zones in an area east of Interstate 680 and south of Pleasanton, PLS-081 and PLS-103, were downgraded to advisories on Wednesday morning. Other evacuation orders, issued for parts of Sunol, were lifted throughout Tuesday night.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/LittleFireGetty4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/LittleFireGetty4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/LittleFireGetty4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/LittleFireGetty4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Smoke spreads across the sky as the Little Fire grows in size near Pleasanton, California, on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (Brontë Wittpenn/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As we wake up this morning, we find ourselves grateful that no structures have been reported lost and that evacuation orders have been lifted for many population areas,” Pleasanton Mayor Jack Balch wrote in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/JackForPleasanton/\">statement\u003c/a> on Facebook on Wednesday morning.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the incident’s peak, he said, evacuation orders affected more than 10,800 people and 3,282 structures, including in Sunol and around Ruby Hill in Pleasanton.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Little Fire broke out Tuesday afternoon around 3:30 p.m., and grew to 950 acres by just after 6:30 p.m. Fire crews began to contain the blaze in the evening, and were able to thwart forward progress late Tuesday night. As of Wednesday morning, Cal Fire said crews were strengthening containment lines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to Balch, Pleasanton stood down its Emergency Operations Center around midnight after the evacuation orders were lifted. He said some residents stayed at the Pleasanton Senior Center overnight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was extremely concerned and worried,” Balch said. “We have seen fast-moving fires throughout the state. Humidity was low, temperatures were high, the area is grassland principally, but the trees and the dry brush catching [was a] significant concern.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Frankly, [that’s] the reason [for] so much gratitude this morning,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the incident, a Cal Fire engine rolled over, injuring one firefighter, who was transported to a hospital. Medina said he was treated for minor injuries before being released. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The cause of the fire is under investigation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jgeha\">\u003cem>Joseph Geha\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Little Fire broke out Tuesday afternoon around 3:30 p.m., and grew to 950 acres by just after 6:30 p.m. Fire crews began to contain the blaze in the evening, and were able to thwart forward progress late Tuesday night. As of Wednesday morning, Cal Fire said crews were strengthening containment lines.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was extremely concerned and worried,” Balch said. “We have seen fast-moving fires throughout the state. Humidity was low, temperatures were high, the area is grassland principally, but the trees and the dry brush catching [was a] significant concern.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the incident, a Cal Fire engine rolled over, injuring one firefighter, who was transported to a hospital. Medina said he was treated for minor injuries before being released. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jgeha\">\u003cem>Joseph Geha\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The Alameda County fire is at 40% containment. Evacuation orders east of I-680 have been downgraded to advisories as of Wednesday morning. ",
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"title": "Little Fire in East Bay: Crews Halt Spread, No Structures Damaged, Pleasanton Mayor Says | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Fire crews are continuing to fight a wildfire in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/alameda-county\">Alameda County\u003c/a> on Wednesday morning, after halting the forward spread of the blaze overnight. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Little Fire, which has reached just over 1,000 acres, is 40% contained, according to Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit spokesperson Raul Medina. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Medina said that evacuation zones in an area east of Interstate 680 and south of Pleasanton, PLS-081 and PLS-103, were downgraded to advisories on Wednesday morning. Other evacuation orders, issued for parts of Sunol, were lifted throughout Tuesday night.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/LittleFireGetty4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/LittleFireGetty4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/LittleFireGetty4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/LittleFireGetty4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Smoke spreads across the sky as the Little Fire grows in size near Pleasanton, California, on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (Brontë Wittpenn/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As we wake up this morning, we find ourselves grateful that no structures have been reported lost and that evacuation orders have been lifted for many population areas,” Pleasanton Mayor Jack Balch wrote in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/JackForPleasanton/\">statement\u003c/a> on Facebook on Wednesday morning.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the incident’s peak, he said, evacuation orders affected more than 10,800 people and 3,282 structures, including in Sunol and around Ruby Hill in Pleasanton.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Little Fire broke out Tuesday afternoon around 3:30 p.m., and grew to 950 acres by just after 6:30 p.m. Fire crews began to contain the blaze in the evening, and were able to thwart forward progress late Tuesday night. As of Wednesday morning, Cal Fire said crews were strengthening containment lines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to Balch, Pleasanton stood down its Emergency Operations Center around midnight after the evacuation orders were lifted. He said some residents stayed at the Pleasanton Senior Center overnight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was extremely concerned and worried,” Balch said. “We have seen fast-moving fires throughout the state. Humidity was low, temperatures were high, the area is grassland principally, but the trees and the dry brush catching [was a] significant concern.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Frankly, [that’s] the reason [for] so much gratitude this morning,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the incident, a Cal Fire engine rolled over, injuring one firefighter, who was transported to a hospital. Medina said he was treated for minor injuries before being released. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The cause of the fire is under investigation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jgeha\">\u003cem>Joseph Geha\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, July 21, 2026:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>The Tule Lake Segregation Center in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/modoc-county\">Modoc County\u003c/a> was one of ten camps where Japanese Americans were imprisoned during World War II. Eighty years after its closure, a group of pilgrims recently paid tribute to the people who died there. Survivors of the camp \u003ca href=\"https://www.ijpr.org/history/2026-07-09/eighty-years-later-survivors-say-tule-lake-still-has-lessons-for-america\">see parallels between their experience \u003c/a>and the federal government’s treatment of immigrants today.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Federal fire investigators are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091812/feds-investigate-whether-pge-contract-work-sparked-twain-fire-in-plumas-county\">looking into a possible link\u003c/a> between PG&E equipment and a fire in Plumas County that started earlier this month.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>As a new school year approaches, some Los Angeles special education teachers and parents \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/education/los-angeles-unified-school-district-lausd/lausd-special-ed-class-size-2026-fall\">are worried\u003c/a> the LA Unified School District won’t bring ballooning class sizes down this fall. That’s despite an agreement reached last spring between the district and UTLA, the union representing teachers.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.ijpr.org/history/2026-07-09/eighty-years-later-survivors-say-tule-lake-still-has-lessons-for-america\">Japanese American WWII camp survivors say the immigrant experience today is similar to theirs\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Survivors and descendants gathered at Tule Lake recently to remember those incarcerated during World War II and explain why they believe the camp’s history still shapes debates today.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Standing in front of a small concrete jail, one of the few remaining buildings at the former Tule Lake Segregation Center, Buddhist priest Duncan Williams led a prayer meant to alleviate suffering caused by hatred and ignorance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The memorial service was part of a pilgrimage that brought about 400 people to the site over the Fourth of July weekend to remember the 331 people who died at the camp between 1942 and 1946. For many families, that loss extended beyond the death of loved ones. They also lost their homes, businesses and freedom.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the U.S. government forcibly removed more than 100,000 Japanese Americans from their homes, incarcerating them in 10 camps across the country. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Satsuki Ina, who was born in Tule Lake, said it’s difficult to watch conditions at Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities without thinking about her own experience.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Because of what happened to us, it’s really important for us to show up in ways that people didn’t show up for us back in 1942,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091812/feds-investigate-whether-pge-contract-work-sparked-twain-fire-in-plumas-county\">Federal investigators probe possible PG&E link to Plumas County fire \u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The U.S. Forest Service is investigating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/tag/pge\">PG&E’s\u003c/a> potential involvement in the Twain Fire, which burned about 276 acres of Plumas National Forest in Northern California last week.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On July 13, PG&E filed an \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/safety-and-enforcement-division/electric-safety-incidents-reported-by-ious/2026-incidents/electric-safety-incident--pge-incident-twain-fire.pdf\">incident\u003c/a> report with the California Public Utilities Commission, stating that a contractor was performing work on a steel pole for a transmission line near Feather River U.S. Highway 70 and Twain Store Road around noon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“A short time later, the Twain Fire was reported in the same area,” the filing said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>PG&E said it was aware of the Forest Service’s investigation and is conducting its own investigation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/education/los-angeles-unified-school-district-lausd/lausd-special-ed-class-size-2026-fall\">Los Angeles special education teachers worry about class sizes\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Los Angeles Unified special education teachers and parents are bracing for another year of large classes when the new school year begins, despite a \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/education/la-unified-school-district-reaches-tentative-labor-deal-with-teachers\">first-ever limit\u003c/a> the union negotiated this spring.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With booming special education enrollment, teachers say the district needs to hire more full-time staff to ensure tens of thousands of students receive the extra support they need — and are legally entitled to — every day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the new contract ratified by UTLA, resource services teachers are limited to supporting 20 students each in integrated classes which include both special and general education students. Resource services teachers are designated to students and collaborate with other teachers to support them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Classrooms with only special education students have different ratios, and those teachers qualify for a monthly stipend of $500 to $1,000, depending on how many students over the limit they have.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But teachers say that although the extra pay doesn’t hurt, they want the district to focus on making both kinds of classes smaller.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Debby Schneider, a special education teacher and UTLA committee chair, told LAist that it’s not about the money.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The stipend is to deter the district from overloading us. Really, what they need to do is open more programs and hire more educators,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stipends for large classes aren’t new, but Schneider told LAist that in previous years, extra compensation didn’t stop the district from overfilling classrooms. Because of that \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-04-28/lausd-failed-disabled-students-under-remote-learning-during-pandemic-investigation-finds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u003cu>history\u003c/u>\u003c/a>, she said she’s concerned this year won’t be any different.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Federal fire investigators are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091812/feds-investigate-whether-pge-contract-work-sparked-twain-fire-in-plumas-county\">looking into a possible link\u003c/a> between PG&E equipment and a fire in Plumas County that started earlier this month.\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The memorial service was part of a pilgrimage that brought about 400 people to the site over the Fourth of July weekend to remember the 331 people who died at the camp between 1942 and 1946. For many families, that loss extended beyond the death of loved ones. They also lost their homes, businesses and freedom.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Because of what happened to us, it’s really important for us to show up in ways that people didn’t show up for us back in 1942,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The U.S. Forest Service is investigating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/tag/pge\">PG&E’s\u003c/a> potential involvement in the Twain Fire, which burned about 276 acres of Plumas National Forest in Northern California last week.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On July 13, PG&E filed an \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/safety-and-enforcement-division/electric-safety-incidents-reported-by-ious/2026-incidents/electric-safety-incident--pge-incident-twain-fire.pdf\">incident\u003c/a> report with the California Public Utilities Commission, stating that a contractor was performing work on a steel pole for a transmission line near Feather River U.S. Highway 70 and Twain Store Road around noon. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“A short time later, the Twain Fire was reported in the same area,” the filing said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>PG&E said it was aware of the Forest Service’s investigation and is conducting its own investigation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>With booming special education enrollment, teachers say the district needs to hire more full-time staff to ensure tens of thousands of students receive the extra support they need — and are legally entitled to — every day.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Classrooms with only special education students have different ratios, and those teachers qualify for a monthly stipend of $500 to $1,000, depending on how many students over the limit they have.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Japanese Americans who experienced internment camps during WWII liken the federal government's treatment of immigrants to how they were treated. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, July 21, 2026:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>The Tule Lake Segregation Center in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/modoc-county\">Modoc County\u003c/a> was one of ten camps where Japanese Americans were imprisoned during World War II. Eighty years after its closure, a group of pilgrims recently paid tribute to the people who died there. Survivors of the camp \u003ca href=\"https://www.ijpr.org/history/2026-07-09/eighty-years-later-survivors-say-tule-lake-still-has-lessons-for-america\">see parallels between their experience \u003c/a>and the federal government’s treatment of immigrants today.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Federal fire investigators are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091812/feds-investigate-whether-pge-contract-work-sparked-twain-fire-in-plumas-county\">looking into a possible link\u003c/a> between PG&E equipment and a fire in Plumas County that started earlier this month.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>As a new school year approaches, some Los Angeles special education teachers and parents \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/education/los-angeles-unified-school-district-lausd/lausd-special-ed-class-size-2026-fall\">are worried\u003c/a> the LA Unified School District won’t bring ballooning class sizes down this fall. That’s despite an agreement reached last spring between the district and UTLA, the union representing teachers.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.ijpr.org/history/2026-07-09/eighty-years-later-survivors-say-tule-lake-still-has-lessons-for-america\">Japanese American WWII camp survivors say the immigrant experience today is similar to theirs\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Survivors and descendants gathered at Tule Lake recently to remember those incarcerated during World War II and explain why they believe the camp’s history still shapes debates today.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Standing in front of a small concrete jail, one of the few remaining buildings at the former Tule Lake Segregation Center, Buddhist priest Duncan Williams led a prayer meant to alleviate suffering caused by hatred and ignorance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The memorial service was part of a pilgrimage that brought about 400 people to the site over the Fourth of July weekend to remember the 331 people who died at the camp between 1942 and 1946. For many families, that loss extended beyond the death of loved ones. They also lost their homes, businesses and freedom.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the U.S. government forcibly removed more than 100,000 Japanese Americans from their homes, incarcerating them in 10 camps across the country. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Satsuki Ina, who was born in Tule Lake, said it’s difficult to watch conditions at Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities without thinking about her own experience.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Because of what happened to us, it’s really important for us to show up in ways that people didn’t show up for us back in 1942,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091812/feds-investigate-whether-pge-contract-work-sparked-twain-fire-in-plumas-county\">Federal investigators probe possible PG&E link to Plumas County fire \u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The U.S. Forest Service is investigating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/tag/pge\">PG&E’s\u003c/a> potential involvement in the Twain Fire, which burned about 276 acres of Plumas National Forest in Northern California last week.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On July 13, PG&E filed an \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/safety-and-enforcement-division/electric-safety-incidents-reported-by-ious/2026-incidents/electric-safety-incident--pge-incident-twain-fire.pdf\">incident\u003c/a> report with the California Public Utilities Commission, stating that a contractor was performing work on a steel pole for a transmission line near Feather River U.S. Highway 70 and Twain Store Road around noon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“A short time later, the Twain Fire was reported in the same area,” the filing said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>PG&E said it was aware of the Forest Service’s investigation and is conducting its own investigation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/education/los-angeles-unified-school-district-lausd/lausd-special-ed-class-size-2026-fall\">Los Angeles special education teachers worry about class sizes\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Los Angeles Unified special education teachers and parents are bracing for another year of large classes when the new school year begins, despite a \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/education/la-unified-school-district-reaches-tentative-labor-deal-with-teachers\">first-ever limit\u003c/a> the union negotiated this spring.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With booming special education enrollment, teachers say the district needs to hire more full-time staff to ensure tens of thousands of students receive the extra support they need — and are legally entitled to — every day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the new contract ratified by UTLA, resource services teachers are limited to supporting 20 students each in integrated classes which include both special and general education students. Resource services teachers are designated to students and collaborate with other teachers to support them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Classrooms with only special education students have different ratios, and those teachers qualify for a monthly stipend of $500 to $1,000, depending on how many students over the limit they have.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But teachers say that although the extra pay doesn’t hurt, they want the district to focus on making both kinds of classes smaller.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Debby Schneider, a special education teacher and UTLA committee chair, told LAist that it’s not about the money.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The stipend is to deter the district from overloading us. Really, what they need to do is open more programs and hire more educators,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stipends for large classes aren’t new, but Schneider told LAist that in previous years, extra compensation didn’t stop the district from overfilling classrooms. Because of that \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-04-28/lausd-failed-disabled-students-under-remote-learning-during-pandemic-investigation-finds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u003cu>history\u003c/u>\u003c/a>, she said she’s concerned this year won’t be any different.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "these-8-camping-fears-are-real-let-us-solve-them-for-you",
"title": "These 8 Camping Fears Are Real. Let Us Solve Them for You",
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"headTitle": "These 8 Camping Fears Are Real. Let Us Solve Them for You | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Taking off on your first-ever \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086426/the-ultimate-annotated-california-camping-checklist\">camping\u003c/a> or backpacking trip can be intimidating. You might be worried about spending the night in the woods, about wildlife or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086178/campsites-are-hard-to-get-in-california-try-dispersed-camping-instead\">other factors\u003c/a> outside your control. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These emotions are super common, said Richard Bothwell, owner of Outdoor Adventure Club, a San Francisco-based guiding company that leads beginner trips all year long.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Your concerns and fears are legitimate,” Bothwell said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His biggest advice? “Start small and give yourself the grace to be a beginner.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That could mean planning a short, easy trip to start, or hopping onto a guided trip if you’d like the hands-on help of experts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12079261\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Josh Dillen and reporter Sarah Wright begin setting up a tent at a campsite at Anthony Chabot Family Campground on April 5, 2026, in Castro Valley, California. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Regardless, start by trying to home in on your actual concern: \u003ca href=\"#bad-weather\">Is it the unpredictability of the weather?\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"#equipment\">The gear that’s intimidating?\u003c/a> Or maybe you don’t know where to go or \u003ca href=\"#anyone-to-go-with\">who to go with?\u003c/a> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If any of those concerns ring true to you, keep reading, as we’ll break down eight common first-timer (or haven’t-been-since-I-was-a-kid) concerns and address them directly. Remember: No worry is too small or insignificant.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So, yes, you might mess up, make decisions you regret and have more questions than answers after your first trip out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Or, as Bothwell puts it, “experience is a cruel teacher who gives the exam before the lesson.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But once you break the ice and get out there, you’ll quickly learn what you’d change for next time. And you also might have more drive than ever to get back out and push your comfort level a bit more to get a bit farther into nature. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. I don’t want to be dirty and am worried about hygiene\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The first thing Bothwell does on his guided trips is address the three Ps: peeing, pooping and periods. Yes, talking about any of these three realities of spending a night outdoors may be uncomfortable at first, but he said “There’s comfort in knowing you’re not the first person to go do this and you’re not the first to have this concern.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That includes teaching students these \u003ca href=\"https://lnt.org/\">Leave No Trace\u003c/a> principles:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003col class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Peeing at least 200 feet from trails, campsites and water sources\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Burying your poop in a cathole 6-8 inches deep and 4-6 inches in diameter and packing out your toilet paper\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Packing out tampons or pads in a sealed plastic bag or emptying menstrual cups into catholes.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069168\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A public campground near Camp Richardson is shown on Aug. 4, 2013, in South Lake Tahoe, California. (George Rose/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kirk McLaughlin, \u003ca href=\"https://campuslifeserviceshome.ucsf.edu/fitness-and-recreation/backpacking-and-camping\">UCSF’s outdoor program manager\u003c/a>, said he teaches his students that you can still have good hygiene in the outdoors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On their camping trips, McLaughlin said he provides handwashing stations and, while backpacking, shows people how to take advantage of fresh water in any form. He said he even has fun teaching people how to use a “\u003ca href=\"https://thetrek.co/how-to-poop-in-a-wag-bag-the-wilderness-hygiene-guide-you-never-knew-you-needed/\">wag bag\u003c/a>” to pack out their waste. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We can make the bathroom parts comfortable, too,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If the idea of being or looking dirty is a concern, Bothwell said he sometimes challenges his participants not to bring a change of clothes — and instead, focus on the bits of hygiene that are safety- rather than comfort-oriented.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The clothes are going to get dirty, but when I’m cooking up pad thai for dinner tonight, you’re gonna see me wash my hands like four or five times through that process,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Hiking with all my stuff sounds difficult\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McLaughlin said the No. 1 thing first-timers on his trips are surprised by is “how they feel after one of our backpacking trips.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Outdoor gear has come a long way in recent years, with new lightweight options for sleeping bags, tents and other gear that might have weighed twice as much when his students were kids. He said people often underestimate how reasonable and comfortable their backpacks can be. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“With the nice backpacks they find, ‘Wow, this is not nearly as painful as I thought it was gonna be,’” McLaughlin said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/IMG_1993-scaled-e1784577012119.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12047594\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Two hikers look out on a lake on the way up Bishop Pass in the Eastern Sierra on June 14, 2025. (Sarah Wright/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Weight is a top concern that Bothwell fields, too. Lots of first-timers feel alone in their discomfort as compared to experienced hikers, he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The difference may simply be that that person next to you knows that in an hour you’re gonna be at camp and everything is gonna be better and you’re gonna kick your shoes off and take your backpack off and just relax,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In the end, you’re gonna remember the time by the campfire more than the aching feet,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Sleeping on the ground is uncomfortable\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The same goes for sleeping on the ground, McLaughlin said. For camping trips, he’s switched from mattresses to cots to bring even more comfort to camp. And for backpackers, participants carry down sleeping bags that are lightweight and warm. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I tell folks, ‘In my youth, I suffered plenty so that they don’t have to,’” he said. “I used a boot for a pillow and slept in some really uncomfortable locations.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>High-quality sleeping gear, in particular, is getting more and more affordable and accessible, he said. (We can attest: Check out our \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082396/cheap-camping-near-bay-area-checklist-gear-cookware-tent-rental-sleeping-bag-pad\">guide to cheap camping\u003c/a> in the Bay Area here for ideas.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. I am afraid of wildlife\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some first-timers are excited to see wildlife, and others are more afraid. Regardless, McLaughlin said he teaches people that it’s really the small mammals like raccoons, squirrels and ravens that tend to get into camp and raid people’s belongings far more often than big mammals like bears. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bothwell said while fears about animals are legitimate, he likes to remind his participants that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12057419/bears-coyotes-moutain-lions-oh-my-what-to-do-when-you-encounter-wildlife-in-the-bay-area\">California bears\u003c/a> aren’t very dangerous. On the off-chance you do encounter a bear in the wilderness in California, you’ll quickly realize that all it takes to scare them off is to get big and yell. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They want to eat your food,” he said. “They have really no interest in attacking you.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"anyone-to-go-with\">5. I don’t know where to go and don’t have anyone to go with\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If where to go is your main concern, we’ve got a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052990/summer-camping-california-bay-area-weather-heat-wave-campsites\">couple \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083697/how-to-find-dispersed-camping-california-near-san-francisco-bay-area-free-campsites-public-lands-national-forests-blm\">of \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040242/start-backpacking-trails-bay-area-near-me-permits\">guides\u003c/a> for you. But if even after reading up on various options, you’re still nervous about striking out on your own, going with a guided trip can help. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That includes guide companies like the one Bothwell runs. Or you can check out your local university clubs, like \u003ca href=\"https://campuslifeserviceshome.ucsf.edu/fitness-and-recreation/backpacking-and-camping\">the one at UCSF\u003c/a> that McLaughlin manages, or other community organizations to see if they run trips. Here in the Bay Area, we have many \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087471/a-moment-under-the-sun-queer-led-groups-are-getting-outside-this-pride\">affinity groups\u003c/a> that organize outdoors-oriented trips all year round, most of which try to keep costs affordable for participants.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Part of my role, like any outdoor coordinator, is securing campsites and lodging reservations a year in advance, the kind of thing that most people who are new to the outdoors wouldn’t even know where to start,” McLaughlin said. “Or by the time they figure it out, everything’s sold out, especially in California.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/GettyImages-566347731-scaled-e1784577412389.jpg\" alt=\"Tents in a big green meadow.\" class=\"wp-image-11973194\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tents in the early morning, on a hill near the Point Reyes National Seashore, California. (Angelo DeSantis/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His expertise allows him to secure highly in-demand spots like Curry Village in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086272/yosemite-national-park-visitor-congestion-crowding-camping-reservations-where-to-visit-outside-yosemite-valley-yarts\">Yosemite\u003c/a> or the Steep Ravine Cabins in Marin County. One of his favorites is a quick overnight trip to Mendocino County for an unforgettable coastal kayaking trip. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Whether you’re planning your own itinerary or joining a group, just don’t bite off more than you can chew, McLaughlin said. He curates his UCSF trips with his clientele — busy, stressed graduate students — in mind. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The main thing is creating an itinerary so that they don’t feel like they have to take a vacation from their vacation when they’re done,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That means taking care to design an itinerary that’s not too intense (and most importantly, is rewarded with a good meal and cozy camp setup — more on that below).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The same goes for backpacking, McLaughlin said. He takes first-time \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040242/start-backpacking-trails-bay-area-near-me-permits\">backpackers to places like Point Reyes\u003c/a>, where the mileage and elevation are low, but the views are rewarding. Those trips, he said, are most likely to leave participants more interested in the hobby than when they set out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. I don’t want to eat gross camping food\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If the image you have in your head of camping or backpacking is eating freeze-dried meals and protein bars all day, think again, McLaughlin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/052626LAKE-TAHOE-_GH_035-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12085516\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/052626LAKE-TAHOE-_GH_035-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/052626LAKE-TAHOE-_GH_035-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/052626LAKE-TAHOE-_GH_035-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">KQED Outdoors Engagement Reporter Sarah Wright prepares a campsite meal at D.L. Bliss State Park on May 25, 2026, in the Lake Tahoe Basin. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eating fresh, filling and comforting meals while out camping isn’t as hard as it seems: On his guided trips, all it takes is bringing a box of pancake mix and a carton of blueberries, McLaughlin said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve never had so many people be so excited for blueberry pancakes,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"equipment\">7. I don’t know how to use my equipment\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re going on a guided trip, don’t worry: someone will be there to help teach you how to use everything you need. If you’re going solo, be sure to test your gear ahead of time and only bring equipment that you have practiced using. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The reality of camping and backpacking, Bothwell said, is that you’re not going to get \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086426/the-ultimate-annotated-california-camping-checklist\">your packing list\u003c/a> right the first time — and that’s OK. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The first time you do it, your system is going to be rough,” he said. That’ll be true for the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth time, he said. But eventually, your changes will get smaller and smaller, and you’ll get more and more comfortable and confident. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you do decide to go with a guided trip, use the opportunity to ask lots of questions, McLaughlin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Ask about the gear, ask about destinations and utilize the amazing amount of knowledge that everybody who works in the business has,” McLaughlin said. “It’s really the best resource.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And once you get home, Bothwell said, do a quick debrief, and ask yourself some simple questions: What equipment did you not use? What equipment did you not like and why? In what ways were you uncomfortable and how can you address that on your next trip?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"bad-weather\">8. What if there is bad weather or an emergency?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Going with a guided group can help allay fears about emergencies, Bothwell said. His company’s guides are trained in wilderness first aid, and they check in with someone not on the trip twice per day using satellite communications in case the group encounters any issues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That person can also relay information back to the group in the backcountry about weather conditions or any other issues that might arise. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re organizing a trip yourself, Bothwell suggested creating your own risk-mitigation plan that includes telling someone about where you’re planning on going and making sure you have some way to check in with them. It’s also not a bad idea to get some first aid training and make sure everyone on the trip is aligned on safety precautions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It cuts down on a lot of friction once you’re out in the woods,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bothwell said some participants on his trips even use them as an opportunity to test out a self-sustaining kit of gear and their ability level before embarking on a solo trip. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So if you figure out on day two of a four-day trip that you miscalculated or you don’t know how to repair your stove, you have support there,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McLaughlin, too, suggested planning your first few trips not too far from help or home. One of his favorites is camping on Mt. Diablo. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s right in our backyard, and some of the campsites have the most amazing views on the planet,” he said. “Our activity is to get up and watch sunrise from the summit, and then ‘poof, 45 minutes later, you’re home.’”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Taking off on your first-ever \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086426/the-ultimate-annotated-california-camping-checklist\">camping\u003c/a> or backpacking trip can be intimidating. You might be worried about spending the night in the woods, about wildlife or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086178/campsites-are-hard-to-get-in-california-try-dispersed-camping-instead\">other factors\u003c/a> outside your control. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>These emotions are super common, said Richard Bothwell, owner of Outdoor Adventure Club, a San Francisco-based guiding company that leads beginner trips all year long.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>These emotions are super common, said Richard Bothwell, owner of Outdoor Adventure Club, a San Francisco-based guiding company that leads beginner trips all year long.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Your concerns and fears are legitimate,” Bothwell said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>His biggest advice? “Start small and give yourself the grace to be a beginner.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>His biggest advice? “Start small and give yourself the grace to be a beginner.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That could mean planning a short, easy trip to start, or hopping onto a guided trip if you’d like the hands-on help of experts. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That could mean planning a short, easy trip to start, or hopping onto a guided trip if you’d like the hands-on help of experts. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12079261\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Josh Dillen and reporter Sarah Wright begin setting up a tent at a campsite at Anthony Chabot Family Campground on April 5, 2026, in Castro Valley, California.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Regardless, start by trying to home in on your actual concern: \u003ca href=\"#bad-weather\">Is it the unpredictability of the weather?\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"#equipment\">The gear that’s intimidating?\u003c/a> Or maybe you don’t know where to go or \u003ca href=\"#anyone-to-go-with\">who to go with?\u003c/a> \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Regardless, start by trying to home in on your actual concern: \u003ca href=\"#bad-weather\">Is it the unpredictability of the weather?\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"#equipment\">The gear that’s intimidating?\u003c/a> Or maybe you don’t know where to go or \u003ca href=\"#anyone-to-go-with\">who to go with?\u003c/a> \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If any of those concerns ring true to you, keep reading, as we’ll break down eight common first-timer (or haven’t-been-since-I-was-a-kid) concerns and address them directly. Remember: No worry is too small or insignificant.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If any of those concerns ring true to you, keep reading, as we’ll break down eight common first-timer (or haven’t-been-since-I-was-a-kid) concerns and address them directly. Remember: No worry is too small or insignificant.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So, yes, you might mess up, make decisions you regret and have more questions than answers after your first trip out. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>So, yes, you might mess up, make decisions you regret and have more questions than answers after your first trip out. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Or, as Bothwell puts it, “experience is a cruel teacher who gives the exam before the lesson.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But once you break the ice and get out there, you’ll quickly learn what you’d change for next time. And you also might have more drive than ever to get back out and push your comfort level a bit more to get a bit farther into nature. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But once you break the ice and get out there, you’ll quickly learn what you’d change for next time. And you also might have more drive than ever to get back out and push your comfort level a bit more to get a bit farther into nature. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "1. I don’t want to be dirty and am worried about hygiene",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. I don’t want to be dirty and am worried about hygiene\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The first thing Bothwell does on his guided trips is address the three Ps: peeing, pooping and periods. Yes, talking about any of these three realities of spending a night outdoors may be uncomfortable at first, but he said “There’s comfort in knowing you’re not the first person to go do this and you’re not the first to have this concern.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The first thing Bothwell does on his guided trips is address the three Ps: peeing, pooping and periods. Yes, talking about any of these three realities of spending a night outdoors may be uncomfortable at first, but he said “There’s comfort in knowing you’re not the first person to go do this and you’re not the first to have this concern.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That includes teaching students these \u003ca href=\"https://lnt.org/\">Leave No Trace\u003c/a> principles:\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>That includes teaching students these \u003ca href=\"https://lnt.org/\">Leave No Trace\u003c/a> principles:\u003c/p>\n"
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"Peeing at least 200 feet from trails, campsites and water sources",
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"Packing out tampons or pads in a sealed plastic bag or emptying menstrual cups into catholes."
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Peeing at least 200 feet from trails, campsites and water sources\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>Peeing at least 200 feet from trails, campsites and water sources\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Burying your poop in a cathole 6-8 inches deep and 4-6 inches in diameter and packing out your toilet paper\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>Burying your poop in a cathole 6-8 inches deep and 4-6 inches in diameter and packing out your toilet paper\u003c/li>\n"
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{
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"attrs": [],
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Packing out tampons or pads in a sealed plastic bag or emptying menstrual cups into catholes.\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>Packing out tampons or pads in a sealed plastic bag or emptying menstrual cups into catholes.\u003c/li>\n"
]
}
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{
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069168\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A public campground near Camp Richardson is shown on Aug. 4, 2013, in South Lake Tahoe, California. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069168\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A public campground near Camp Richardson is shown on Aug. 4, 2013, in South Lake Tahoe, California. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kirk McLaughlin, \u003ca href=\"https://campuslifeserviceshome.ucsf.edu/fitness-and-recreation/backpacking-and-camping\">UCSF’s outdoor program manager\u003c/a>, said he teaches his students that you can still have good hygiene in the outdoors. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Kirk McLaughlin, \u003ca href=\"https://campuslifeserviceshome.ucsf.edu/fitness-and-recreation/backpacking-and-camping\">UCSF’s outdoor program manager\u003c/a>, said he teaches his students that you can still have good hygiene in the outdoors. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On their camping trips, McLaughlin said he provides handwashing stations and, while backpacking, shows people how to take advantage of fresh water in any form. He said he even has fun teaching people how to use a “\u003ca href=\"https://thetrek.co/how-to-poop-in-a-wag-bag-the-wilderness-hygiene-guide-you-never-knew-you-needed/\">wag bag\u003c/a>” to pack out their waste. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>On their camping trips, McLaughlin said he provides handwashing stations and, while backpacking, shows people how to take advantage of fresh water in any form. He said he even has fun teaching people how to use a “\u003ca href=\"https://thetrek.co/how-to-poop-in-a-wag-bag-the-wilderness-hygiene-guide-you-never-knew-you-needed/\">wag bag\u003c/a>” to pack out their waste. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We can make the bathroom parts comfortable, too,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We can make the bathroom parts comfortable, too,” he said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If the idea of being or looking dirty is a concern, Bothwell said he sometimes challenges his participants not to bring a change of clothes — and instead, focus on the bits of hygiene that are safety- rather than comfort-oriented.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If the idea of being or looking dirty is a concern, Bothwell said he sometimes challenges his participants not to bring a change of clothes — and instead, focus on the bits of hygiene that are safety- rather than comfort-oriented.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The clothes are going to get dirty, but when I’m cooking up pad thai for dinner tonight, you’re gonna see me wash my hands like four or five times through that process,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“The clothes are going to get dirty, but when I’m cooking up pad thai for dinner tonight, you’re gonna see me wash my hands like four or five times through that process,” he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerBlocks": []
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "2. Hiking with all my stuff sounds difficult",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Hiking with all my stuff sounds difficult\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Hiking with all my stuff sounds difficult\u003c/h2>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>McLaughlin said the No. 1 thing first-timers on his trips are surprised by is “how they feel after one of our backpacking trips.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>McLaughlin said the No. 1 thing first-timers on his trips are surprised by is “how they feel after one of our backpacking trips.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Outdoor gear has come a long way in recent years, with new lightweight options for sleeping bags, tents and other gear that might have weighed twice as much when his students were kids. He said people often underestimate how reasonable and comfortable their backpacks can be. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Outdoor gear has come a long way in recent years, with new lightweight options for sleeping bags, tents and other gear that might have weighed twice as much when his students were kids. He said people often underestimate how reasonable and comfortable their backpacks can be. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“With the nice backpacks they find, ‘Wow, this is not nearly as painful as I thought it was gonna be,’” McLaughlin said.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“With the nice backpacks they find, ‘Wow, this is not nearly as painful as I thought it was gonna be,’” McLaughlin said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/IMG_1993-scaled-e1784577012119.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12047594\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Two hikers look out on a lake on the way up Bishop Pass in the Eastern Sierra on June 14, 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/IMG_1993-scaled-e1784577012119.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12047594\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Two hikers look out on a lake on the way up Bishop Pass in the Eastern Sierra on June 14, 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Weight is a top concern that Bothwell fields, too. Lots of first-timers feel alone in their discomfort as compared to experienced hikers, he said.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Weight is a top concern that Bothwell fields, too. Lots of first-timers feel alone in their discomfort as compared to experienced hikers, he said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The difference may simply be that that person next to you knows that in an hour you’re gonna be at camp and everything is gonna be better and you’re gonna kick your shoes off and take your backpack off and just relax,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“The difference may simply be that that person next to you knows that in an hour you’re gonna be at camp and everything is gonna be better and you’re gonna kick your shoes off and take your backpack off and just relax,” he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In the end, you’re gonna remember the time by the campfire more than the aching feet,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“In the end, you’re gonna remember the time by the campfire more than the aching feet,” he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "3. Sleeping on the ground is uncomfortable",
"level": 2
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Sleeping on the ground is uncomfortable\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Sleeping on the ground is uncomfortable\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The same goes for sleeping on the ground, McLaughlin said. For camping trips, he’s switched from mattresses to cots to bring even more comfort to camp. And for backpackers, participants carry down sleeping bags that are lightweight and warm. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The same goes for sleeping on the ground, McLaughlin said. For camping trips, he’s switched from mattresses to cots to bring even more comfort to camp. And for backpackers, participants carry down sleeping bags that are lightweight and warm. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I tell folks, ‘In my youth, I suffered plenty so that they don’t have to,’” he said. “I used a boot for a pillow and slept in some really uncomfortable locations.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I tell folks, ‘In my youth, I suffered plenty so that they don’t have to,’” he said. “I used a boot for a pillow and slept in some really uncomfortable locations.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>High-quality sleeping gear, in particular, is getting more and more affordable and accessible, he said. (We can attest: Check out our \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082396/cheap-camping-near-bay-area-checklist-gear-cookware-tent-rental-sleeping-bag-pad\">guide to cheap camping\u003c/a> in the Bay Area here for ideas.)\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>High-quality sleeping gear, in particular, is getting more and more affordable and accessible, he said. (We can attest: Check out our \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082396/cheap-camping-near-bay-area-checklist-gear-cookware-tent-rental-sleeping-bag-pad\">guide to cheap camping\u003c/a> in the Bay Area here for ideas.)\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "4. I am afraid of wildlife",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. I am afraid of wildlife\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some first-timers are excited to see wildlife, and others are more afraid. Regardless, McLaughlin said he teaches people that it’s really the small mammals like raccoons, squirrels and ravens that tend to get into camp and raid people’s belongings far more often than big mammals like bears. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Some first-timers are excited to see wildlife, and others are more afraid. Regardless, McLaughlin said he teaches people that it’s really the small mammals like raccoons, squirrels and ravens that tend to get into camp and raid people’s belongings far more often than big mammals like bears. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bothwell said while fears about animals are legitimate, he likes to remind his participants that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12057419/bears-coyotes-moutain-lions-oh-my-what-to-do-when-you-encounter-wildlife-in-the-bay-area\">California bears\u003c/a> aren’t very dangerous. On the off-chance you do encounter a bear in the wilderness in California, you’ll quickly realize that all it takes to scare them off is to get big and yell. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Bothwell said while fears about animals are legitimate, he likes to remind his participants that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12057419/bears-coyotes-moutain-lions-oh-my-what-to-do-when-you-encounter-wildlife-in-the-bay-area\">California bears\u003c/a> aren’t very dangerous. On the off-chance you do encounter a bear in the wilderness in California, you’ll quickly realize that all it takes to scare them off is to get big and yell. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They want to eat your food,” he said. “They have really no interest in attacking you.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“They want to eat your food,” he said. “They have really no interest in attacking you.”\u003c/p>\n"
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},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "5. I don’t know where to go and don’t have anyone to go with",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"anyone-to-go-with\">5. I don’t know where to go and don’t have anyone to go with\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"anyone-to-go-with\">5. I don’t know where to go and don’t have anyone to go with\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If where to go is your main concern, we’ve got a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052990/summer-camping-california-bay-area-weather-heat-wave-campsites\">couple \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083697/how-to-find-dispersed-camping-california-near-san-francisco-bay-area-free-campsites-public-lands-national-forests-blm\">of \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040242/start-backpacking-trails-bay-area-near-me-permits\">guides\u003c/a> for you. But if even after reading up on various options, you’re still nervous about striking out on your own, going with a guided trip can help. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If where to go is your main concern, we’ve got a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052990/summer-camping-california-bay-area-weather-heat-wave-campsites\">couple \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083697/how-to-find-dispersed-camping-california-near-san-francisco-bay-area-free-campsites-public-lands-national-forests-blm\">of \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040242/start-backpacking-trails-bay-area-near-me-permits\">guides\u003c/a> for you. But if even after reading up on various options, you’re still nervous about striking out on your own, going with a guided trip can help. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That includes guide companies like the one Bothwell runs. Or you can check out your local university clubs, like \u003ca href=\"https://campuslifeserviceshome.ucsf.edu/fitness-and-recreation/backpacking-and-camping\">the one at UCSF\u003c/a> that McLaughlin manages, or other community organizations to see if they run trips. Here in the Bay Area, we have many \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087471/a-moment-under-the-sun-queer-led-groups-are-getting-outside-this-pride\">affinity groups\u003c/a> that organize outdoors-oriented trips all year round, most of which try to keep costs affordable for participants.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>That includes guide companies like the one Bothwell runs. Or you can check out your local university clubs, like \u003ca href=\"https://campuslifeserviceshome.ucsf.edu/fitness-and-recreation/backpacking-and-camping\">the one at UCSF\u003c/a> that McLaughlin manages, or other community organizations to see if they run trips. Here in the Bay Area, we have many \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087471/a-moment-under-the-sun-queer-led-groups-are-getting-outside-this-pride\">affinity groups\u003c/a> that organize outdoors-oriented trips all year round, most of which try to keep costs affordable for participants.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Part of my role, like any outdoor coordinator, is securing campsites and lodging reservations a year in advance, the kind of thing that most people who are new to the outdoors wouldn’t even know where to start,” McLaughlin said. “Or by the time they figure it out, everything’s sold out, especially in California.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Part of my role, like any outdoor coordinator, is securing campsites and lodging reservations a year in advance, the kind of thing that most people who are new to the outdoors wouldn’t even know where to start,” McLaughlin said. “Or by the time they figure it out, everything’s sold out, especially in California.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/GettyImages-566347731-scaled-e1784577412389.jpg\" alt=\"Tents in a big green meadow.\" class=\"wp-image-11973194\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tents in the early morning, on a hill near the Point Reyes National Seashore, California.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>His expertise allows him to secure highly in-demand spots like Curry Village in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086272/yosemite-national-park-visitor-congestion-crowding-camping-reservations-where-to-visit-outside-yosemite-valley-yarts\">Yosemite\u003c/a> or the Steep Ravine Cabins in Marin County. One of his favorites is a quick overnight trip to Mendocino County for an unforgettable coastal kayaking trip. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>His expertise allows him to secure highly in-demand spots like Curry Village in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086272/yosemite-national-park-visitor-congestion-crowding-camping-reservations-where-to-visit-outside-yosemite-valley-yarts\">Yosemite\u003c/a> or the Steep Ravine Cabins in Marin County. One of his favorites is a quick overnight trip to Mendocino County for an unforgettable coastal kayaking trip. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Whether you’re planning your own itinerary or joining a group, just don’t bite off more than you can chew, McLaughlin said. He curates his UCSF trips with his clientele — busy, stressed graduate students — in mind. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Whether you’re planning your own itinerary or joining a group, just don’t bite off more than you can chew, McLaughlin said. He curates his UCSF trips with his clientele — busy, stressed graduate students — in mind. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The main thing is creating an itinerary so that they don’t feel like they have to take a vacation from their vacation when they’re done,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The main thing is creating an itinerary so that they don’t feel like they have to take a vacation from their vacation when they’re done,” he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That means taking care to design an itinerary that’s not too intense (and most importantly, is rewarded with a good meal and cozy camp setup — more on that below).\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The same goes for backpacking, McLaughlin said. He takes first-time \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040242/start-backpacking-trails-bay-area-near-me-permits\">backpackers to places like Point Reyes\u003c/a>, where the mileage and elevation are low, but the views are rewarding. Those trips, he said, are most likely to leave participants more interested in the hobby than when they set out. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The same goes for backpacking, McLaughlin said. He takes first-time \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040242/start-backpacking-trails-bay-area-near-me-permits\">backpackers to places like Point Reyes\u003c/a>, where the mileage and elevation are low, but the views are rewarding. Those trips, he said, are most likely to leave participants more interested in the hobby than when they set out. \u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "6. I don’t want to eat gross camping food",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If the image you have in your head of camping or backpacking is eating freeze-dried meals and protein bars all day, think again, McLaughlin said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/052626LAKE-TAHOE-_GH_035-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12085516\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/052626LAKE-TAHOE-_GH_035-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/052626LAKE-TAHOE-_GH_035-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/052626LAKE-TAHOE-_GH_035-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">KQED Outdoors Engagement Reporter Sarah Wright prepares a campsite meal at D.L. Bliss State Park on May 25, 2026, in the Lake Tahoe Basin.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/052626LAKE-TAHOE-_GH_035-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12085516\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">KQED Outdoors Engagement Reporter Sarah Wright prepares a campsite meal at D.L. Bliss State Park on May 25, 2026, in the Lake Tahoe Basin.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Eating fresh, filling and comforting meals while out camping isn’t as hard as it seems: On his guided trips, all it takes is bringing a box of pancake mix and a carton of blueberries, McLaughlin said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Eating fresh, filling and comforting meals while out camping isn’t as hard as it seems: On his guided trips, all it takes is bringing a box of pancake mix and a carton of blueberries, McLaughlin said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’ve never had so many people be so excited for blueberry pancakes,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"attrs": {
"text": "7. I don’t know how to use my equipment",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’re going on a guided trip, don’t worry: someone will be there to help teach you how to use everything you need. If you’re going solo, be sure to test your gear ahead of time and only bring equipment that you have practiced using. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The reality of camping and backpacking, Bothwell said, is that you’re not going to get \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086426/the-ultimate-annotated-california-camping-checklist\">your packing list\u003c/a> right the first time — and that’s OK. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The reality of camping and backpacking, Bothwell said, is that you’re not going to get \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086426/the-ultimate-annotated-california-camping-checklist\">your packing list\u003c/a> right the first time — and that’s OK. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The first time you do it, your system is going to be rough,” he said. That’ll be true for the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth time, he said. But eventually, your changes will get smaller and smaller, and you’ll get more and more comfortable and confident. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The first time you do it, your system is going to be rough,” he said. That’ll be true for the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth time, he said. But eventually, your changes will get smaller and smaller, and you’ll get more and more comfortable and confident. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you do decide to go with a guided trip, use the opportunity to ask lots of questions, McLaughlin said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Ask about the gear, ask about destinations and utilize the amazing amount of knowledge that everybody who works in the business has,” McLaughlin said. “It’s really the best resource.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Ask about the gear, ask about destinations and utilize the amazing amount of knowledge that everybody who works in the business has,” McLaughlin said. “It’s really the best resource.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And once you get home, Bothwell said, do a quick debrief, and ask yourself some simple questions: What equipment did you not use? What equipment did you not like and why? In what ways were you uncomfortable and how can you address that on your next trip?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And once you get home, Bothwell said, do a quick debrief, and ask yourself some simple questions: What equipment did you not use? What equipment did you not like and why? In what ways were you uncomfortable and how can you address that on your next trip?\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "8. What if there is bad weather or an emergency?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Going with a guided group can help allay fears about emergencies, Bothwell said. His company’s guides are trained in wilderness first aid, and they check in with someone not on the trip twice per day using satellite communications in case the group encounters any issues.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Going with a guided group can help allay fears about emergencies, Bothwell said. His company’s guides are trained in wilderness first aid, and they check in with someone not on the trip twice per day using satellite communications in case the group encounters any issues.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That person can also relay information back to the group in the backcountry about weather conditions or any other issues that might arise. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That person can also relay information back to the group in the backcountry about weather conditions or any other issues that might arise. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’re organizing a trip yourself, Bothwell suggested creating your own risk-mitigation plan that includes telling someone about where you’re planning on going and making sure you have some way to check in with them. It’s also not a bad idea to get some first aid training and make sure everyone on the trip is aligned on safety precautions.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If you’re organizing a trip yourself, Bothwell suggested creating your own risk-mitigation plan that includes telling someone about where you’re planning on going and making sure you have some way to check in with them. It’s also not a bad idea to get some first aid training and make sure everyone on the trip is aligned on safety precautions.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It cuts down on a lot of friction once you’re out in the woods,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bothwell said some participants on his trips even use them as an opportunity to test out a self-sustaining kit of gear and their ability level before embarking on a solo trip. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“So if you figure out on day two of a four-day trip that you miscalculated or you don’t know how to repair your stove, you have support there,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>McLaughlin, too, suggested planning your first few trips not too far from help or home. One of his favorites is camping on Mt. Diablo. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>McLaughlin, too, suggested planning your first few trips not too far from help or home. One of his favorites is camping on Mt. Diablo. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s right in our backyard, and some of the campsites have the most amazing views on the planet,” he said. “Our activity is to get up and watch sunrise from the summit, and then ‘poof, 45 minutes later, you’re home.’”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s right in our backyard, and some of the campsites have the most amazing views on the planet,” he said. “Our activity is to get up and watch sunrise from the summit, and then ‘poof, 45 minutes later, you’re home.’”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "No matter what’s keeping you from taking the next step into exploring the outdoors, we’ll break it down for you.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Taking off on your first-ever \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086426/the-ultimate-annotated-california-camping-checklist\">camping\u003c/a> or backpacking trip can be intimidating. You might be worried about spending the night in the woods, about wildlife or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086178/campsites-are-hard-to-get-in-california-try-dispersed-camping-instead\">other factors\u003c/a> outside your control. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These emotions are super common, said Richard Bothwell, owner of Outdoor Adventure Club, a San Francisco-based guiding company that leads beginner trips all year long.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Your concerns and fears are legitimate,” Bothwell said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His biggest advice? “Start small and give yourself the grace to be a beginner.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That could mean planning a short, easy trip to start, or hopping onto a guided trip if you’d like the hands-on help of experts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12079261\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/040526CheapCamping_GH_017_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Josh Dillen and reporter Sarah Wright begin setting up a tent at a campsite at Anthony Chabot Family Campground on April 5, 2026, in Castro Valley, California. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Regardless, start by trying to home in on your actual concern: \u003ca href=\"#bad-weather\">Is it the unpredictability of the weather?\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"#equipment\">The gear that’s intimidating?\u003c/a> Or maybe you don’t know where to go or \u003ca href=\"#anyone-to-go-with\">who to go with?\u003c/a> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If any of those concerns ring true to you, keep reading, as we’ll break down eight common first-timer (or haven’t-been-since-I-was-a-kid) concerns and address them directly. Remember: No worry is too small or insignificant.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So, yes, you might mess up, make decisions you regret and have more questions than answers after your first trip out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Or, as Bothwell puts it, “experience is a cruel teacher who gives the exam before the lesson.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But once you break the ice and get out there, you’ll quickly learn what you’d change for next time. And you also might have more drive than ever to get back out and push your comfort level a bit more to get a bit farther into nature. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. I don’t want to be dirty and am worried about hygiene\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The first thing Bothwell does on his guided trips is address the three Ps: peeing, pooping and periods. Yes, talking about any of these three realities of spending a night outdoors may be uncomfortable at first, but he said “There’s comfort in knowing you’re not the first person to go do this and you’re not the first to have this concern.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That includes teaching students these \u003ca href=\"https://lnt.org/\">Leave No Trace\u003c/a> principles:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003col class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Peeing at least 200 feet from trails, campsites and water sources\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Burying your poop in a cathole 6-8 inches deep and 4-6 inches in diameter and packing out your toilet paper\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Packing out tampons or pads in a sealed plastic bag or emptying menstrual cups into catholes.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069168\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/CampingGetty1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A public campground near Camp Richardson is shown on Aug. 4, 2013, in South Lake Tahoe, California. (George Rose/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kirk McLaughlin, \u003ca href=\"https://campuslifeserviceshome.ucsf.edu/fitness-and-recreation/backpacking-and-camping\">UCSF’s outdoor program manager\u003c/a>, said he teaches his students that you can still have good hygiene in the outdoors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On their camping trips, McLaughlin said he provides handwashing stations and, while backpacking, shows people how to take advantage of fresh water in any form. He said he even has fun teaching people how to use a “\u003ca href=\"https://thetrek.co/how-to-poop-in-a-wag-bag-the-wilderness-hygiene-guide-you-never-knew-you-needed/\">wag bag\u003c/a>” to pack out their waste. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We can make the bathroom parts comfortable, too,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If the idea of being or looking dirty is a concern, Bothwell said he sometimes challenges his participants not to bring a change of clothes — and instead, focus on the bits of hygiene that are safety- rather than comfort-oriented.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The clothes are going to get dirty, but when I’m cooking up pad thai for dinner tonight, you’re gonna see me wash my hands like four or five times through that process,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Hiking with all my stuff sounds difficult\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McLaughlin said the No. 1 thing first-timers on his trips are surprised by is “how they feel after one of our backpacking trips.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Outdoor gear has come a long way in recent years, with new lightweight options for sleeping bags, tents and other gear that might have weighed twice as much when his students were kids. He said people often underestimate how reasonable and comfortable their backpacks can be. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“With the nice backpacks they find, ‘Wow, this is not nearly as painful as I thought it was gonna be,’” McLaughlin said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/IMG_1993-scaled-e1784577012119.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12047594\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Two hikers look out on a lake on the way up Bishop Pass in the Eastern Sierra on June 14, 2025. (Sarah Wright/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Weight is a top concern that Bothwell fields, too. Lots of first-timers feel alone in their discomfort as compared to experienced hikers, he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The difference may simply be that that person next to you knows that in an hour you’re gonna be at camp and everything is gonna be better and you’re gonna kick your shoes off and take your backpack off and just relax,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In the end, you’re gonna remember the time by the campfire more than the aching feet,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Sleeping on the ground is uncomfortable\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The same goes for sleeping on the ground, McLaughlin said. For camping trips, he’s switched from mattresses to cots to bring even more comfort to camp. And for backpackers, participants carry down sleeping bags that are lightweight and warm. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I tell folks, ‘In my youth, I suffered plenty so that they don’t have to,’” he said. “I used a boot for a pillow and slept in some really uncomfortable locations.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>High-quality sleeping gear, in particular, is getting more and more affordable and accessible, he said. (We can attest: Check out our \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082396/cheap-camping-near-bay-area-checklist-gear-cookware-tent-rental-sleeping-bag-pad\">guide to cheap camping\u003c/a> in the Bay Area here for ideas.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. I am afraid of wildlife\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some first-timers are excited to see wildlife, and others are more afraid. Regardless, McLaughlin said he teaches people that it’s really the small mammals like raccoons, squirrels and ravens that tend to get into camp and raid people’s belongings far more often than big mammals like bears. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bothwell said while fears about animals are legitimate, he likes to remind his participants that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12057419/bears-coyotes-moutain-lions-oh-my-what-to-do-when-you-encounter-wildlife-in-the-bay-area\">California bears\u003c/a> aren’t very dangerous. On the off-chance you do encounter a bear in the wilderness in California, you’ll quickly realize that all it takes to scare them off is to get big and yell. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They want to eat your food,” he said. “They have really no interest in attacking you.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"anyone-to-go-with\">5. I don’t know where to go and don’t have anyone to go with\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If where to go is your main concern, we’ve got a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052990/summer-camping-california-bay-area-weather-heat-wave-campsites\">couple \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083697/how-to-find-dispersed-camping-california-near-san-francisco-bay-area-free-campsites-public-lands-national-forests-blm\">of \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040242/start-backpacking-trails-bay-area-near-me-permits\">guides\u003c/a> for you. But if even after reading up on various options, you’re still nervous about striking out on your own, going with a guided trip can help. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That includes guide companies like the one Bothwell runs. Or you can check out your local university clubs, like \u003ca href=\"https://campuslifeserviceshome.ucsf.edu/fitness-and-recreation/backpacking-and-camping\">the one at UCSF\u003c/a> that McLaughlin manages, or other community organizations to see if they run trips. Here in the Bay Area, we have many \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087471/a-moment-under-the-sun-queer-led-groups-are-getting-outside-this-pride\">affinity groups\u003c/a> that organize outdoors-oriented trips all year round, most of which try to keep costs affordable for participants.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Part of my role, like any outdoor coordinator, is securing campsites and lodging reservations a year in advance, the kind of thing that most people who are new to the outdoors wouldn’t even know where to start,” McLaughlin said. “Or by the time they figure it out, everything’s sold out, especially in California.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/GettyImages-566347731-scaled-e1784577412389.jpg\" alt=\"Tents in a big green meadow.\" class=\"wp-image-11973194\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tents in the early morning, on a hill near the Point Reyes National Seashore, California. (Angelo DeSantis/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His expertise allows him to secure highly in-demand spots like Curry Village in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086272/yosemite-national-park-visitor-congestion-crowding-camping-reservations-where-to-visit-outside-yosemite-valley-yarts\">Yosemite\u003c/a> or the Steep Ravine Cabins in Marin County. One of his favorites is a quick overnight trip to Mendocino County for an unforgettable coastal kayaking trip. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Whether you’re planning your own itinerary or joining a group, just don’t bite off more than you can chew, McLaughlin said. He curates his UCSF trips with his clientele — busy, stressed graduate students — in mind. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The main thing is creating an itinerary so that they don’t feel like they have to take a vacation from their vacation when they’re done,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That means taking care to design an itinerary that’s not too intense (and most importantly, is rewarded with a good meal and cozy camp setup — more on that below).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The same goes for backpacking, McLaughlin said. He takes first-time \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040242/start-backpacking-trails-bay-area-near-me-permits\">backpackers to places like Point Reyes\u003c/a>, where the mileage and elevation are low, but the views are rewarding. Those trips, he said, are most likely to leave participants more interested in the hobby than when they set out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. I don’t want to eat gross camping food\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If the image you have in your head of camping or backpacking is eating freeze-dried meals and protein bars all day, think again, McLaughlin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/052626LAKE-TAHOE-_GH_035-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12085516\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/052626LAKE-TAHOE-_GH_035-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/052626LAKE-TAHOE-_GH_035-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/052626LAKE-TAHOE-_GH_035-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">KQED Outdoors Engagement Reporter Sarah Wright prepares a campsite meal at D.L. Bliss State Park on May 25, 2026, in the Lake Tahoe Basin. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eating fresh, filling and comforting meals while out camping isn’t as hard as it seems: On his guided trips, all it takes is bringing a box of pancake mix and a carton of blueberries, McLaughlin said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve never had so many people be so excited for blueberry pancakes,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"equipment\">7. I don’t know how to use my equipment\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re going on a guided trip, don’t worry: someone will be there to help teach you how to use everything you need. If you’re going solo, be sure to test your gear ahead of time and only bring equipment that you have practiced using. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The reality of camping and backpacking, Bothwell said, is that you’re not going to get \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086426/the-ultimate-annotated-california-camping-checklist\">your packing list\u003c/a> right the first time — and that’s OK. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The first time you do it, your system is going to be rough,” he said. That’ll be true for the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth time, he said. But eventually, your changes will get smaller and smaller, and you’ll get more and more comfortable and confident. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you do decide to go with a guided trip, use the opportunity to ask lots of questions, McLaughlin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Ask about the gear, ask about destinations and utilize the amazing amount of knowledge that everybody who works in the business has,” McLaughlin said. “It’s really the best resource.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And once you get home, Bothwell said, do a quick debrief, and ask yourself some simple questions: What equipment did you not use? What equipment did you not like and why? In what ways were you uncomfortable and how can you address that on your next trip?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"bad-weather\">8. What if there is bad weather or an emergency?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Going with a guided group can help allay fears about emergencies, Bothwell said. His company’s guides are trained in wilderness first aid, and they check in with someone not on the trip twice per day using satellite communications in case the group encounters any issues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That person can also relay information back to the group in the backcountry about weather conditions or any other issues that might arise. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re organizing a trip yourself, Bothwell suggested creating your own risk-mitigation plan that includes telling someone about where you’re planning on going and making sure you have some way to check in with them. It’s also not a bad idea to get some first aid training and make sure everyone on the trip is aligned on safety precautions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It cuts down on a lot of friction once you’re out in the woods,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bothwell said some participants on his trips even use them as an opportunity to test out a self-sustaining kit of gear and their ability level before embarking on a solo trip. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So if you figure out on day two of a four-day trip that you miscalculated or you don’t know how to repair your stove, you have support there,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McLaughlin, too, suggested planning your first few trips not too far from help or home. One of his favorites is camping on Mt. Diablo. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s right in our backyard, and some of the campsites have the most amazing views on the planet,” he said. “Our activity is to get up and watch sunrise from the summit, and then ‘poof, 45 minutes later, you’re home.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "feds-investigate-whether-pge-contract-work-sparked-twain-fire-in-plumas-county",
"title": "Feds Investigate Whether PG&E Contract Work Sparked Twain Fire in Plumas County",
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"headTitle": "Feds Investigate Whether PG&E Contract Work Sparked Twain Fire in Plumas County | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>The U.S. Forest Service is investigating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091122/pge-shutoffs-planned-this-week-for-thousands-in-northern-california-due-to-fire-risk\">PG&E’s\u003c/a> potential involvement in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2026/7/11/twain-fire\">Twain Fire, \u003c/a>which burned about 276 acres of Plumas National Forest in Northern California last week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On July 13, PG&E filed an \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/safety-and-enforcement-division/electric-safety-incidents-reported-by-ious/2026-incidents/electric-safety-incident--pge-incident-twain-fire.pdf\">incident\u003c/a> report with the California Public Utilities Commission, stating that a contractor was performing work on a steel pole for a transmission line near Feather River U.S. Highway 70 and Twain Store Road around noon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“A short time later, the Twain Fire was reported in the same area,” the filing said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>PG&E said it was aware of the Forest Service’s investigation and is conducting its own investigation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fire was first reported on \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2026/7/11/twain-fire\">July 11\u003c/a>, and, as of July 19, the fire is 95% contained. The Kingsbury Grade Forest Road will remain closed until July 31 according to a Forest Service \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1485876640249565&set=pcb.1485876996916196\">update\u003c/a>, but the Pacific Crest Trail remains open. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past decade, PG&E has been fined \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11804048/pge-fined-2-1-billion-for-wildfires-largest-amount-in-california-history\">billions of dollars\u003c/a> for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016417/californians-pay-billions-for-power-companies-wildfire-prevention-efforts-are-they-cost-effective\">numerous\u003c/a> fires sparked by its electrical equipment and filed for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11722186/5-things-to-know-about-the-pge-bankruptcy\">bankruptcy\u003c/a> over wildfire liabilities in 2019. According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/psps/\">CPUC\u003c/a>, electric utility infrastructure has been responsible for less than 10% of reported wildfires — though these fires make up about half of the “most destructive fires in California history.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>PG&E potentially faces a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/news-and-updates/all-news/cpuc-staff-issue-proposal-penalizing-pacific-gas-and-electric-22-million-for-2022-placer-county-fire\">$22 million fine\u003c/a> for the 2022 Mosquito Fire. The CPUC will vote on that settlement on Aug. 13. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>PG&E confirmed the details of the incident report and reiterated that there are no reports of injuries or of damaged structures. They did not provide any information about the contractor or the nature of the work. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Forest Service did not provide a timeline for their investigation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/dventon\">\u003cem>Danielle Venton\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The U.S. Forest Service is investigating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091122/pge-shutoffs-planned-this-week-for-thousands-in-northern-california-due-to-fire-risk\">PG&E’s\u003c/a> potential involvement in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2026/7/11/twain-fire\">Twain Fire, \u003c/a>which burned about 276 acres of Plumas National Forest in Northern California last week. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The U.S. Forest Service is investigating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091122/pge-shutoffs-planned-this-week-for-thousands-in-northern-california-due-to-fire-risk\">PG&E’s\u003c/a> potential involvement in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2026/7/11/twain-fire\">Twain Fire, \u003c/a>which burned about 276 acres of Plumas National Forest in Northern California last week. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On July 13, PG&E filed an \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/safety-and-enforcement-division/electric-safety-incidents-reported-by-ious/2026-incidents/electric-safety-incident--pge-incident-twain-fire.pdf\">incident\u003c/a> report with the California Public Utilities Commission, stating that a contractor was performing work on a steel pole for a transmission line near Feather River U.S. Highway 70 and Twain Store Road around noon. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On July 13, PG&E filed an \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/safety-and-enforcement-division/electric-safety-incidents-reported-by-ious/2026-incidents/electric-safety-incident--pge-incident-twain-fire.pdf\">incident\u003c/a> report with the California Public Utilities Commission, stating that a contractor was performing work on a steel pole for a transmission line near Feather River U.S. Highway 70 and Twain Store Road around noon. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“A short time later, the Twain Fire was reported in the same area,” the filing said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>PG&E said it was aware of the Forest Service’s investigation and is conducting its own investigation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The fire was first reported on \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2026/7/11/twain-fire\">July 11\u003c/a>, and, as of July 19, the fire is 95% contained. The Kingsbury Grade Forest Road will remain closed until July 31 according to a Forest Service \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1485876640249565&set=pcb.1485876996916196\">update\u003c/a>, but the Pacific Crest Trail remains open. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Over the past decade, PG&E has been fined \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11804048/pge-fined-2-1-billion-for-wildfires-largest-amount-in-california-history\">billions of dollars\u003c/a> for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016417/californians-pay-billions-for-power-companies-wildfire-prevention-efforts-are-they-cost-effective\">numerous\u003c/a> fires sparked by its electrical equipment and filed for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11722186/5-things-to-know-about-the-pge-bankruptcy\">bankruptcy\u003c/a> over wildfire liabilities in 2019. According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/psps/\">CPUC\u003c/a>, electric utility infrastructure has been responsible for less than 10% of reported wildfires — though these fires make up about half of the “most destructive fires in California history.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>PG&E confirmed the details of the incident report and reiterated that there are no reports of injuries or of damaged structures. They did not provide any information about the contractor or the nature of the work. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Forest Service did not provide a timeline for their investigation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/dventon\">\u003cem>Danielle Venton\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The U.S. Forest Service is determining whether utility work caused the 276-acre wildfire in Plumas National Forest. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The U.S. Forest Service is investigating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091122/pge-shutoffs-planned-this-week-for-thousands-in-northern-california-due-to-fire-risk\">PG&E’s\u003c/a> potential involvement in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2026/7/11/twain-fire\">Twain Fire, \u003c/a>which burned about 276 acres of Plumas National Forest in Northern California last week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On July 13, PG&E filed an \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/safety-and-enforcement-division/electric-safety-incidents-reported-by-ious/2026-incidents/electric-safety-incident--pge-incident-twain-fire.pdf\">incident\u003c/a> report with the California Public Utilities Commission, stating that a contractor was performing work on a steel pole for a transmission line near Feather River U.S. Highway 70 and Twain Store Road around noon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“A short time later, the Twain Fire was reported in the same area,” the filing said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>PG&E said it was aware of the Forest Service’s investigation and is conducting its own investigation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fire was first reported on \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2026/7/11/twain-fire\">July 11\u003c/a>, and, as of July 19, the fire is 95% contained. The Kingsbury Grade Forest Road will remain closed until July 31 according to a Forest Service \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1485876640249565&set=pcb.1485876996916196\">update\u003c/a>, but the Pacific Crest Trail remains open. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past decade, PG&E has been fined \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11804048/pge-fined-2-1-billion-for-wildfires-largest-amount-in-california-history\">billions of dollars\u003c/a> for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016417/californians-pay-billions-for-power-companies-wildfire-prevention-efforts-are-they-cost-effective\">numerous\u003c/a> fires sparked by its electrical equipment and filed for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11722186/5-things-to-know-about-the-pge-bankruptcy\">bankruptcy\u003c/a> over wildfire liabilities in 2019. According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/psps/\">CPUC\u003c/a>, electric utility infrastructure has been responsible for less than 10% of reported wildfires — though these fires make up about half of the “most destructive fires in California history.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>PG&E potentially faces a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/news-and-updates/all-news/cpuc-staff-issue-proposal-penalizing-pacific-gas-and-electric-22-million-for-2022-placer-county-fire\">$22 million fine\u003c/a> for the 2022 Mosquito Fire. The CPUC will vote on that settlement on Aug. 13. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>PG&E confirmed the details of the incident report and reiterated that there are no reports of injuries or of damaged structures. They did not provide any information about the contractor or the nature of the work. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Forest Service did not provide a timeline for their investigation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/dventon\">\u003cem>Danielle Venton\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>-based Taylor Farms has expanded a voluntary recall of its iceberg lettuce products sourced from central Mexico because of a potential link to the \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/cyclospora-lettuce-taco-bell-cdc-fda-13d9e9ebdc46a4d05a58da2ae8e8d0de\">multistate cyclospora outbreak\u003c/a> that has sickened people across the US.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Products with the potential to be contaminated with the diarrhea-causing parasite were shipped to 27 states including Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New Jersey, the company said in a statement Friday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are actively removing the implicated products,” the statement said, adding that the company has stopped sourcing lettuce from an implicated lot in central Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>US health officials earlier this week identified lettuce from a supplier in Mexico as a source of cyclospora contamination in food served at Taco Bell restaurants in five Midwestern states.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Taylor Farms recall announcement listed 25 shredded lettuce and salad mix products sold under eight different brand codes. Taylor Farms did not respond to an emailed request for the full names of those brands or retailers. The recalled products were shipped as recently as Thursday and have “best by” dates as late as Aug. 3.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sysco, the nation’s largest food distributor, has halted distribution of all Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce products sourced from Mexico and instructed customers to destroy them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects food that has come into contact with human feces, most commonly when produce is irrigated or washed with contaminated water. When ingested, the parasite causes intestinal illness marked by “frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the CDC.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2026, cyclospora has sickened at least 1,645 people in the US and hospitalized 141, according to the CDC, which is investigating more than 5,000 additional illnesses that may be linked to the parasite. This time last year, only 249 cases had been reported.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The CDC initially \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/cyclospora-produce-washing-tips-022730ccbc514e15b1f0021c47bf1b68\">warned consumers\u003c/a> to avoid eating shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Taco Bell worked swiftly to voluntarily remove the product from restaurants and the affected ingredient has been removed from our supply chain nationwide,” the company said in a statement Friday.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>-based Taylor Farms has expanded a voluntary recall of its iceberg lettuce products sourced from central Mexico because of a potential link to the \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/cyclospora-lettuce-taco-bell-cdc-fda-13d9e9ebdc46a4d05a58da2ae8e8d0de\">multistate cyclospora outbreak\u003c/a> that has sickened people across the US.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Products with the potential to be contaminated with the diarrhea-causing parasite were shipped to 27 states including Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New Jersey, the company said in a statement Friday.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are actively removing the implicated products,” the statement said, adding that the company has stopped sourcing lettuce from an implicated lot in central Mexico.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Taylor Farms recall announcement listed 25 shredded lettuce and salad mix products sold under eight different brand codes. Taylor Farms did not respond to an emailed request for the full names of those brands or retailers. The recalled products were shipped as recently as Thursday and have “best by” dates as late as Aug. 3.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects food that has come into contact with human feces, most commonly when produce is irrigated or washed with contaminated water. When ingested, the parasite causes intestinal illness marked by “frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the CDC.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Taylor Farms has expanded a voluntary recall of its iceberg lettuce products sourced from central Mexico because of a potential link to the multistate cyclospora outbreak that has sickened people across the US.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>-based Taylor Farms has expanded a voluntary recall of its iceberg lettuce products sourced from central Mexico because of a potential link to the \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/cyclospora-lettuce-taco-bell-cdc-fda-13d9e9ebdc46a4d05a58da2ae8e8d0de\">multistate cyclospora outbreak\u003c/a> that has sickened people across the US.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Products with the potential to be contaminated with the diarrhea-causing parasite were shipped to 27 states including Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New Jersey, the company said in a statement Friday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are actively removing the implicated products,” the statement said, adding that the company has stopped sourcing lettuce from an implicated lot in central Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>US health officials earlier this week identified lettuce from a supplier in Mexico as a source of cyclospora contamination in food served at Taco Bell restaurants in five Midwestern states.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Taylor Farms recall announcement listed 25 shredded lettuce and salad mix products sold under eight different brand codes. Taylor Farms did not respond to an emailed request for the full names of those brands or retailers. The recalled products were shipped as recently as Thursday and have “best by” dates as late as Aug. 3.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sysco, the nation’s largest food distributor, has halted distribution of all Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce products sourced from Mexico and instructed customers to destroy them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects food that has come into contact with human feces, most commonly when produce is irrigated or washed with contaminated water. When ingested, the parasite causes intestinal illness marked by “frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the CDC.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2026, cyclospora has sickened at least 1,645 people in the US and hospitalized 141, according to the CDC, which is investigating more than 5,000 additional illnesses that may be linked to the parasite. This time last year, only 249 cases had been reported.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The CDC initially \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/cyclospora-produce-washing-tips-022730ccbc514e15b1f0021c47bf1b68\">warned consumers\u003c/a> to avoid eating shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Taco Bell worked swiftly to voluntarily remove the product from restaurants and the affected ingredient has been removed from our supply chain nationwide,” the company said in a statement Friday.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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