Gloria Hillard

Dr. Kwane Stewart is known as the "Street Vet." He makes rounds in Los Angeles' Skid Row and provides free care to homeless people's beloved pets.

One of the nation's busiest marine highways in southern California is trying a new program to help cargo ships avoid whales. "Whale Safe" is kind of a crossing guard to save marine mammals.

The Los Angeles Fire Department depends on help from amateur radio volunteers when fire threatens communications infrastructure. NPR looks at how ham radio operators are keeping residents safe.

The city's most recent homeless count showed that the veteran homeless population had declined 18 percent. But some advocates caution that veteran homelessness is an ever-changing dynamic.

One 51-year-old woman has been living on the streets for two years. "I've been raped, I've been stabbed, it's been hard out here for me," she says.

Once considered a paradise for the colorful songbirds, Kauai has lost more than half of those native species due to invasive species and a warming climate.

In Southern California, a section of the high speed train linking San Francisco to Los Angeles would have to navigate through mountains, fault zones and what may be even more daunting: cowboy country.

Despite increasing public awareness of transgender issues, transgender people continue to face high rates of joblessness.

Summer camp typically brings to mind s'mores, campfires and the beach. But for some kids in Southern California, camp is where they learn to care for sick and stranded sea lions and elephant seals.

The city has seen some positive changes in recent years, including a reconnection with the city's rural past. The pastime has given youth an outlet in a region that's at the center of gang violence.