A law Gov. Newsom signed changes employer’s drug testing for marijuana. The son of a late Stockton homeless advocate shares his father’s life, work, and how he plans to continue his father’s legacy. Podcast revisiting the investigation and trial of the Hillside Strangler. 

Law changes to marijuana testing

According to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (known as NORML for short), California has become the seventh state to create worker protections for marijuana use. Assembly Bill 2188 was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom this month, which prohibits certain employers from drug testing employees who use cannabis outside of work hours. The bill received strong opposition from groups representing employer organizations and the Chamber of Commerce, arguing the bill would bring a potentially impaired employee into the workplace, putting coworkers at risk. Dale Gieringer, Director of California's NORML chapter, joined Insight to discuss the bill's passage and what it means for workers' rights in the state. 

Remembering a Stockton homeless advocate

A tireless advocate for Stockton’s unhoused community and a man who dedicated his life and career to helping those experiencing homelessness. That is how family, friends, and colleagues are remembering Bill Mendelson, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 74. Bill’s advocacy spanned over three decades overseeing the construction of the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless, which still exists today. Throughout his career, he’s credited for creating and expanding housing programs that have helped thousands of people move off the streets. In 1999, Bill was named Executive Director of the Central Valley Low Income Housing Corp, a position he held until 2021. He continued his advocacy for the homeless community until he died. One of his children, Jon Mendelson, joined Insight about his father’s life and advocacy in the Central Valley. Jon is also the new Executive Director of the Central Valley Low Income Housing Corp and shared how he plans to carry on his father’s work.   

Revisiting the Hillside Strangler

True Crime is a genre that dominates TV, streaming, books, and podcasts with the capacity to challenge the criminal justice system and question convictions with weak or compromised evidence. But it can also re-victimize those who suffered and propel infamous killers into a warped kind of celebrity. A new podcast is approaching one of California's most heinous crime sprees with a different lens that puts the victims and nuances of detective work into focus. The Hillside Strangler gripped neighborhoods in Los Angeles in the late 1970s. More than four decades later, a podcast is revisiting the longest murder trial in U.S. history, described as a story of crime, politics, and personal redemption. Joe Rodota, the creator of the "Hillside Podcast," joins us about the podcast ahead of a live discussion at Sacramento's B Street Theatre.