Julie Small Sacramento Correspondent
- Phone: 916-930-9623
Julie Small covers state government, prisons and the California Supreme Court for Southern California Public Radio.
Before joining KPCC, Julie spent 7 years as the deputy foreign editor for Public Radio’s critically acclaimed "Marketplace." She helped shape the show’s coverage of Asia during China ascendency and India’s growing economic influence. She was the Los Angeles producer of a two-week live broadcast from China in 2006 and produced some other series on counterfeit goods, and the effect of the Iraq War on European-US trade relations. She also produced the "Marketplace Morning Report" for a stint.
Small is a former staff reporter for the Los Angeles Times. She's also reported for NPR, "The California Report," and "Weekend America."
Small earned her master's degree in Journalism from the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communication.
In 1996 she helped launch a national campaign for redress for Japanese-Latin Americans interned by the U.S. government during World War II. The group won a settlement from the U.S. Department of Justice in 1998.
When she’s not walking the halls of the state capitol, Julie spends her free time enjoying life with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area, but she misses her home town of Los Angeles.
Stories by Julie Small
California Institutes Larger Fines for Selling Real Estate Without a License
In California, it's illegal to sell a house without a real estate license from the state. But that hasn't stopped hundreds of people and companies from doing it over the last decade. Monday, Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill that increases fines for the crime. KPCC's Julie Small reports the bill's author hopes that'll curtail the practice.
Report Recommends 'Peripheral Canal' Around Delta
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta supplies water to two-thirds of California's population. But climate change, drought, and threats to endangered fish have made it tougher to take water out of the Delta. A new report recommends building a "peripheral canal" to pump water around the Delta as the best way to send the water where it's needed. KPCC's Julie Small reports that's sure to rile some Northern Californians.
State lawmakers debate budget plans
The state budget is almost three weeks past due, and there's no sign lawmakers are any closer to solving the $15 billion deficit. Democrats want to raise taxes, Republicans want to cut spending, and it seems like no one wants to compromise. But KPCC's Julie Small reports there is one plan that might get both sides to give a little.
Rice Farmers Expect to Harvest Record Profits
Oil isn't the only global commodity trading at record prices. In the last three months, the price for the kind of rice used in most Asian and Mediterranean cuisines has doubled. That's exactly the kind of rice California grows and exports. KPCC's Julie Small says rice farmers near Sacramento are expecting record profits this year.
Governor Shows Off New School Comparison Web Site
Governor Schwarzenegger unveiled a new state Web site today for parents to compare schools anywhere in the state. Other Web sites have offered similar information for up to a decade. KPCC's Julie Small says the governor hopes the state's Web site will eventually include information that's not public right now, in the hope that schools will improve their performance.
Dems Push Tax-Hiking Budget Plan
The Democrats in the state legislature say they've come up with a balanced budget, and they're ready to move it forward. To balance a budget that was $15 billion in the red, the Democrats have proposed billions in taxes. They say it'll close the deficit and put an end to the problem of deficits year after year. KPCC's Julie Small reports, the Democrats' budget plan is almost certainly "dead on arrival".
Governor Signs Mortgage Relief Bill
The first bill from Sacramento to provide relief to homeowners at risk of foreclosure became law Tuesday. At a ceremony in Oakland, Governor Schwarzenegger signed a measure that requires lenders to speak directly to subprime borrowers before foreclosing on them. It gives renters a couple months to save the mortgage, and prevents foreclosed homes from turning into neighborhood blight. But KPCC's Julie Small reports consumer advocates want California's lawmakers to do a lot more.
Wildfires Prompt Renewed Cry for Firefighting Upgrade
The tremendous number of fires burning in Southern and Northern California have stretched the state's firefighting resources almost as far as they can go. KPCC's Julie Small says that's renewed a cry to upgrade California's firefighting ability.
State Fire Crews Ready for Additional Blazes
We're heading into a dry Fourth of July weekend up and down the state of California. In June, which usually isn't much of a fire month, more than a thousand fires burned in Northern California. So what resources remain to throw at any blazes that break out in Southern California this weekend? KPCC's Julie Small looks at what California's doing to meet the challenge.
Scathing Report on California Death Penalty Released
California's death penalty system is near collapse. That's the conclusion of study by the Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice. That panel was created by state lawmakers three years ago to look at how California handles the death penalty. In its final report, the commission said delays in the justice system undermine the deterrent effects of the death penalty - and actually extend the suffering of victim's families. KPCC's Julie Small has more on the commission's report.
Prison Settlement Talks Between State and Feds Break Down
Settlement talks collapsed Friday in a court case that could lead to the early release of tens of thousands of California prisoners. As KPCC's Julie Small reports, a panel of federal judges will move forward with a trial this fall to determine whether to put a cap on the state inmate population to improve prison health care.
State Takes the Wraps off Climate Blueprint
California's Air Resources Board rolled out a landmark plan Thursday to cut a third of the state's greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade or so. KPCC's Julie Small reports that the blueprint to fight global warming is just that, a blueprint with lots of details yet to be sketched in.
California's Greenhouse Gas Blueprint Due Thursday
It's been more than a year-and-a-half since California passed a landmark bill to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 10% in the next decade or so. Thursday, the California Air Resources Board will unveil its plan to make that happen. KPCC's Julie Small offers a preview.
State Scales Back Prison Plan
It's been a little over a year since California's legislature passed a $7 billion plan to expand the state's prison capacity to ease overcrowding. But Wednesday, California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation told lawmakers the cost of building those new prison beds has jumped dramatically in a year. KPCC's Julie Small reports the state is scaling back the prison plan.
Prison Receiver Pushes for Funding
The federal appointee ordered to improve medical care in state prisons says California is in his way. He's begun to lay the groundwork for a way to force the state government to pay for the job ahead. KPCC's Julie Small reports.
