The latest on California’s Reparations Task Force. Valley Vision hosts its inaugural Livability Summit at Sac State. Central Valley native Aaron Judge with the NY Yankees inches closer to breaking a Major League homerun record. 

California's reparations task force

It's been two years since California launched a task force recognizing the legacy of harm slavery has had on the state and taking steps to atone for that painful history. Part of that includes pinpointing a dollar amount for reparations to help repair the harm that still reverberates today, from disproportionate incarceration rates to housing discrimination and health disparities experienced by generations of Black Californians throughout the decades. That was largely the focus of the task force's most recent meeting in Los Angeles as they tried to determine potentially a dollar amount and other forms of reparations for descendants of enslaved people in California. The task force currently has less than a year to complete its work, and there are many logistical and political challenges left to untangle, including a bill allowing the task force to extend its 2023 deadline is sparking a contentious debate. Annelise Finney is a reporter at KQED in the Bay Area and has been reporting on the task force for the last year and joins us to get us up to speed with where things stand now. 

Valley Vision

Livability is a loaded word that many cities, like Sacramento, are grappling with. From cost of living to education, economic opportunity, and public safety, there is a lot of meaning behind “quality of life.” For nearly 30 years, “Valley Vision” has worked to understand these complex, and systemic, issues across the Sacramento region. CapRadio has been a partner reporting on Valley Vision’s research to better understand and improve the quality of life for all residents. This year comes with a new addition for solutions. Next week, on Tuesday, October 4, “Valley Vision” will be hosting its first-ever “Livability Summit” at Sacramento State. A day with honest conversations about what an “equitable neighborhood” is, from homelessness to housing and building a more livable future for the next generation. We’re joined by Evan Schmidt, CEO of Valley Vision. Also joining is keynote speaker Alicia John-Baptiste who leads the Bay Area urban policy nonprofit SPUR.

Baseball player Aaron Judge

NY Yankee superstar Aaron Judge achieved something which hasn’t been done in baseball in 61 years, tying an American League homerun record set by another Yankee in 1961. The 30-year-old slugger’s pursuit of baseball glory began in his hometown of Linden, a small farming community just east of Stockton. Former Linden Herald sports journalist Craig Anderson joins us to discuss Aaron Judge’s historic season and what the Yankee superstar’s homerun chase means for his small hometown in the Central Valley.