State parks sought to spend extra money

SACRAMENTO (AP) - The state Department of Parks and Recreation searched for ways to spend extra money every year despite facing the threat of park closures and forgoing upkeep at its 278 properties, a newspaper reported Sunday.

Calif. protests court order for inmate reduction

SACRAMENTO . (AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown's administration is protesting a federal court order to provide a timetable for releasing prison inmates to ease overcrowding at state prisons.

Tougher heat rules for farmworkers?

FRESNO (AP) - With temperatures in the Central Valley recently surpassing 110 degrees and state regulators investigating two possible heat-related deaths in the fields, the California legislature is considering new laws that would strengthen rules for protecting farmworkers from heat.

Special needs kids stay in traditional schools

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The high cost of educating students with special needs is disproportionately falling on traditional public schools as other students increasingly opt for alternatives that aren't always readily open to those requiring special education.

State news briefs

• STATE MULLS DRIVER'S LICENSES FOR YOUNG MIGRANTS: SACRAMENTO (AP) - The California Department of Motor Vehicles is uncertain whether to issue driver's licenses to young immigrants who obtain temporary residency under President Obama's reprieve program.

State news briefs

WASHINGTON MOVES TO RECYCLE TRANSPORT FUNDS IN CA: LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Obama administration wants to recycle $43 million in unspent highway funds in California.

Twice recalled councilman giving it another try

FULLERTON (AP) - A twice-recalled Southern California councilman is giving it another try. Former Fullerton Councilman Don Bankhead is one of three council members ousted in June in the wake of an uproar over the way the city handled a fatal confrontation between police officers and a mentally ill homeless man. Bankhead is now among 12 candidates vying ...

Brown seeks special session on health care reform issues before year’s end

Trio charged with defrauding tribe of $18M at Thunder Valley casino

Thunderstorms trigger mud flows in SoCal

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Fast-moving thunderstorms dumped heavy rain that triggered flash floods and mud flows in rural areas of the San Bernardino Mountains. San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Bachmann says deputies checked on residents in the Forest Falls and Big Falls areas because of reports of significant mud and debris flowing down the hillsides. Bachmann says no structures were damaged ...

Stockton, other cities dispute amount of redevelopment money sought by state

Trade group sues LA to halt ban on dispensaries

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A medical marijuana trade group is suing Los Angeles to stop the city from implementing a ban on prescription pot dispensaries. The suit filed by Patient Care Alliance alleges the ban violates the constitutional right of freedom of assembly, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. The ordinance passed last month by the City Council ...

Clown had iPad stolen from Steve Jobs' home

Moody's: More cities at risk of bankruptcy

Man dies from rare rodent disease caught in Yosemite

YOSEMITE - (AP) - A man died and a woman became seriously ill after contracting a rare rodent-borne disease that might have been linked to their stay at a popular lodging area in Yosemite National Park, officials said Thursday.

OC seeks state permission to charge for rescues

OC seeks state permission to charge for rescues

Injured volunteer seeks payment from lost hiker

6 plead not guilty in school embezzlement

Driver impaled by metal rod on I-580 near Livermore.

Snacking deputy's crash costs Santa Clara County $5M

Brown defends California's business climate

State news briefs

POSTAL WORKER SENTENCED IN MAIL THEFT: SAN CARLOS, Calif. (AP) - A San Francisco Bay area postal worker accused of stealing thousands of pieces of mail to obtain credit cards has been sentenced to 18 months in jail.

State news briefs

LAWYER: TEEN USED 'MURDER KIT' ON GIRL'S PARENTS: LOS ANGELES (AP) - Prosecutors say a teenager accused of murdering his girlfriend's parents was equipped with a "murder kit" to kill the Compton couple.

Montana man dies in Yosemite climbing accident

Unclaimed veterans' remains laid to rest

Bay Area briefs

Bay Area briefs

SF OFFICIALS UPSET OVER ANTI-ISRAEL BUS ADS: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Several San Francisco supervisors want the city transit agency to donate revenue from an anti-Israel bus ad campaign to the city's Human Rights Commission after the agency did the same for an ad campaign that targeted Muslims.

Dolphin finds 130-year-old torpedo off San Diego

Man survives 220-foot jump off Golden Gate