Bills seek to assist ex-felons seeking jobs to avoid past from hindering them

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Jeff Rutland was released from San Quentin State Prison nearly two years ago, ready to leave behind a 25-year criminal career.

San Rafael School kids urge Crayola to rethink recycling of plastic markers

SAN RAFAEL (AP) - A group of California grade school students wants Crayola to start a recycling program for spent plastic markers, but the company doesn't appear ready to make such a move.

RDA change kills plan to move migrant housing

THERMAL (AP) - Local officials looking to move migrant farm workers from a squalid encampment of trailers on tribal land say they need another $12 million to complete the relocation, but the state says a lapsed deadline means that money now belongs to all of California, newspapers reported Saturday.

Experts alarmed by PG&E pipeline surges

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has exceeded the designated maximum pressure on its natural gas pipelines more than 120 times since the 2010 deadly pipeline explosion in San Bruno, causing concerns among safety experts, according to company documents and a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.

State News Briefs

TEEN ATTACKED AFTER KNOCKING DOWN MOTORCYCLISTS: BELMONT (AP) - A teenage driver is banged up after police say he was attacked by a group of motorcyclists after he knocked down two motorcyclists on Highway 101 Sunday morning.

Eastwood's family gets real on new E! series

Eastwood's family gets real on new E! series

Man's defibrillator stops knife during attack

SAN DIEGO (AP) - A man's implanted heart defibrillator may have saved his life in an unexpected way - by stopping a knife. San Diego police say the 57-year-old got into an argument with an acquaintance early Thursday near some elevators at the trolley station for the Fashion Valley shopping mall. Police say the acquaintance pulled a folding ...

Mad cow quarantines lifted at 2 dairies

Suspect dead after shooting Sacramento police dog

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A Sacramento police officer shot and killed a suspected vehicle thief after the man shot his police dog. The exchange of gunfire took place about 10:30 a.m. Friday in the Land Park neighborhood. Three schools in the area kept students inside as a precaution. The suspect shot and wounded a police dog named Bodie, which ...

Analyst calls Brown revenue projections reasonable; expects bigger deficit though

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California's nonpartisan legislative analyst said Friday the state's budget deficit could be higher than Gov. Jerry Brown estimated earlier this week but also found the administration's economic and revenue forecasts were reasonable. The report said the anticipated $15.7 billion budget deficit could grow by more than $1 billion if the governor's revenue projections from defunct community redevelopment agencies and ...

UMEMPLOYMENT RATE

JURISDICTION APRIL JANUARY MOVE Manteca 13.5 14.5 Down Lathrop 12.5 13.5 Down Ripon 11.7 10.9 Down Tracy 9.7 10.5 Down Escalon 14.2 15.3 Down Lodi 11.8 12.7 Down <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in ...

Driver who was hero in '76 bus kidnap dies

Federal officials announces 20K youth summer jobs

MALIBU (AP) - More than 20,000 new summer jobs will give young people an opportunity to work in America's forests, national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands, federal officials announced Friday. The summer work opportunities are to target people ages 15 to 25 and put them in touch with the great outdoors, said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. <p style="line-height: ...

California jobless rate dips slightly to 10.9%

Bill would prohibit ticket-buying software

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Music and sports fans would have one less obstacle in buying tickets to popular events under a bill advancing through the California Legislature. Legislation by Democratic Assemblyman Richard Pan of Sacramento would prohibit the use of robotic ticket-buying software. Supporters of AB329 say scalpers use the software to bombard online box offices and then resell tickets at higher prices. Lawmakers previously deleted a provision that would have allowed transfers of paperless event ...

Professor assigns students to make ad for his campaign

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A San Francisco State University professor considering a run for Oakland mayor is drawing scrutiny for a class assignment that asked students to create a political campaign ad and gave them the option of developing it for him. Joe Tuman said he would use the ad if it were good, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Thursday. But ethics experts said any such use of the students' work could run afoul ...

Bay Area briefs

SWALLOWS LAWSUIT MAY DELAY PETALUMA BRIDGE WORK : PETALUMA (AP) - A lawsuit accuses state and federal regulators of causing the death of dozens of migratory cliff swallows by placing nets on a Sonoma County bridge during a highway widening project.

State releases health reform plans, pricing