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
Governor Calls for Deep Cuts in State Budget
Governor Schwarzenegger on Thursday unveiled his budget proposal for the next fiscal year. It calls for a staggering $9 billion in cuts to state services to offset a multi-billion dollar shortfall in revenue. KPCC's State Capitol reporter Julie Small says the reaction to Schwarzenegger's spending plan was grim.
Governor Unveils State Budget, Declares Fiscal Emergency
Across-the-board 10% cuts are a key feature of the state budget released Thursday by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, in order to close an estimated $14.5 billion shortfall over the next 18 months. KPCC's Shirley Jahad spoke with State Capitol Reporter Julie Small about how the budget is being received in Sacramento.
Governor Calls for Budget Reforms in State of State Speech
Governor Schwarzenegger devoted most of his State of the State address on Tuesday to California's fiscal crisis. Schwarzenegger called for a constitutional amendment that would trigger mid-year cuts when revenues fall and stockpile surpluses in good financial years.
Schwarzenegger Will Propose Across-the-Board Cuts to State Programs
Thursday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unveils this year's budget. He's already warned Californians it will be a tough one. The state's facing a $14 billion deficit, and the governor will propose across-the-board cuts to government programs to close that gap. KPCC's Julie Small says it's an idea that falls to one side of a deep ideological divide.
Governor Schwarzenegger to Address State's Budget Problems in State of the State Speech
Governor Schwarzenegger gives his State of the State address this afternoon in Sacramento and he's expected to say California's finances are in bad shape. KPCC's Julie Small says a looming $14 billion budget deficit has upstaged everything else on the legislative agenda.
Berkeley Law Students Help Supreme Court Case
The United States Supreme Court hears arguments today in a key case about lethal injections in death penalty cases. There are questions about whether a paralyzing drug causes undue pain. The answers to those questions might be found in a brief about botched executions. KPCC's Julie Small says two students at UC Berkeley's Boalt School of Law helped write it.
San Francisco Zoo Reopens After Tiger Attack
The San Francisco Zoo reopened its doors Thursday for the first time since Christmas, when a Siberian tiger escaped it enclosure and mauled three visitors. A 17-year-old visitor was killed and two of his friends were seriously injured. There are still many questions surrounding the tiger attack; but KPCC's Julie Small says the tragedy didn't keep zoo lovers from coming back.
State Agencies Try to Dig Up the 'Underground Economy'
A coalition of state agencies in Sacramento concentrates on exposing California's "underground economy." Where you see cheap products, they see fraud, paycheck ripoffs and a higher tax bill for you. KPCC's State Capitol reporter Julie Small offers this look at California's Economic and Employment Enforcement Coalition.
State Lawmaker Tries to Stave Off Foreclosures
Assemblyman Ted Lieu wants lenders to freeze interest rates for homeowners who took out subprime loans. Lieu is also calling for more funding for loan counselors to help homeowners facing foreclosure. As many as a half million homeowners may face foreclosure in the next couple of years.
Southland Braces for Next Wet Winter Storm
State officials are bracing for a major winter storm that's expected to drop between one to four inches of rain over the weekend. That could wreak havoc wherever the recent wildfires burned away everything that grows. KPCC's Julie Small looks at how the state's lining up resources to deal with what might hit us soon.
Dems Want Special Session on Mortgage Crisis
One of every 88 American homes in foreclosure is located in California. KPCC's Julie Small says that Thursday in Sacramento, state Democrats, hoping to avert more foreclosures, announced legislation to ban certain lending practices.
Drought Leads to Water Woes for Southland Farmers
This week, lawmakers in Sacramento postponed a vote on a water bond. It would have raised money to help California store more water during wet years to use during the dry ones. That long-term approach makes sense, but it doesn't do much for a water crisis that's just around the corner. Southern California will soon lose about a third of its water supply. Blame that on the persistent drought – and on a federal court order in an environmental case. Whatever the reason, the water cutbacks will be here soon – and KPCC's Julie Small reports Southland farmers are already feeling the pain.
Governor Pledges Help to Fire Victims
Governor Schwarzeneggger spoke exclusively with KPCC's Julie Small Wednesday while he visited the evacuation center at Steele Canyon High School in San Diego. She asked him why he felt it important to visit the fire victims in person.
State Finance Department Hard at Work on State Budget
Most people will spend today shopping, but the people who handle the state's budget are at work. KPCC's Julie Small reports California's finance department already has begun its annual end-of-the-year sprint to balance the state's debit and credit columns.
Hearing Held Over S.F. Bay Oil Spill
A congressional hearing on the recent San Francisco Bay oil spill convened Monday in the city by the bay. KPCC's Julie Small reports that the lawmakers, most of them Californians, questioned whether existing national standards for preventing and responding to oil spills are adequate for the state.
