Evacuations Expand as Crews Continue to Battle Dixie Fire

KQED's The California Report

The Dixie Fire burning in Plumas and Butte counties has burned nearly 193,000 and forced even more evacuations in Plumas County. Several homes and structures have been destroyed although the full extent of the damage hasn't been determined.

Los Angeles County has seen five straight days of daily COVID-19 cases topping 2,000, mainly due to the highly contagious delta variant. That's led officials to urge all residents who are eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

California industries have sent manufacturing jobs overseas for years to find lower wages and fewer regulations. But as the drought tightens its grip on the state, some businesses might have an additional reason to leave -- the search for cheap water.

Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW

Even when the state isn’t in a drought, some of California’s Native American communities face challenges getting safe drinking water. There are growing concerns about what this year's dry weather will mean for those communities.

Guests: Jonathan Rash, Deputy Director of the Division of Sanitation Facilities Construction at the California Area Indian Health Service and Bo Mazzetti, Chairman of the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians

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