State prison psychiatrist suspended after making $800,000 during 2011

SOLEDAD (AP) - A California prison psychiatrist who was paid more than $800,000 last year is under investigation and suspended amid allegations that time records were falsified, it was reported Wednesday. Dr. Mohammad Safi's pay in 2011 included more than $503,000 in on-call pay to make sure he was available to respond quickly to emergencies, the San Jose Mercury News said. <p ...

Man fatally mauled by pit bulls in Selma

SELMA (AP) - Authorities say a Fresno County man is dead after being mauled by pit bull dogs. The Fresno County Sheriff's Office said detectives found the unidentified man's body Tuesday evening in Selma. Deputy Chris Curtice told the Fresno Bee that four dogs were found at a nearby home with blood on them. <p style="line-height: 18pt; background: ...

Receiver starts prison layoffs as inmates ebb

SACRAMENTO (AP) - The federal receiver who controls health care in California prisons is issuing layoff notices to more than 2,200 employees as inmate crowding eases. The notices announced Wednesday come as receiver J. Clark Kelso begins returning control to state officials. Spokeswoman Liz Gransee says the goal is to reduce the medical staff by more than 800 ...

Police search campus for robbery suspects

FULLERTON (AP) - Students at Cal State Fullerton barricaded themselves inside classrooms and dorm rooms Wednesday night as police searched for two suspects in a jewelry store robbery, while another suspect was caught after a high-speed pursuit that ended on a baseball field where the Los Angeles' police chief was giving away toys. The search was centered on three buildings along Nutwood ...

Judge approves director to oversee Oakland police

Feds auction prime land for oil development

Brown being treated for prostate cancer

Bay Area briefs

SONOMA COUNTY WOMAN CONVICTED OF EMBEZZLING $1.6M : SAN RAFAEL (AP) - A 44-year-old Sonoma County woman has been convicted of embezzling nearly $1.6 million from her employer.

Inmates must pay $3 for medical attention

SANTA ANA (AP) - Inmates at a Southern California jail must now pay $3 to see a nurse. The Orange County Sheriff's Department says inmates will begin paying the fee next year when they seek medical attention. The copay-type charge is designed to curb frivolous visits that can tie up deputies and medical staff. <p style="line-height: 18pt; background: ...

Suspect lived with girlfriend's rotting corpse in Stockton

STOCKTON (AP) - Prosecutors say a California murder suspect lived with his girlfriend's rotting corpse for months. Devon Epps was evicted from his Stockton apartment a year ago and the apartment manager found the decomposing body of 35-year-old Veronica Jones in the bathroom. Jones was reported missing six months before her body was found. <p style="line-height: 18pt; background: ...

Prison for trafficker in bogus exercise equipment

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Southern California trafficker of counterfeit Bowflex and Malibu Pilates exercise equipment has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison. Prosecutors say 36-year-old Stanley Kuo Jua Yang imported huge shipping containers containing nearly $1 million worth of counterfeit merchandise. Federal agents served a search warrant at Yang's business in Fountain Valley ...

Online petition calls on University of California system board to scrap new logo

Port audit finds questionable spending

OAKLAND (AP) - Audits found that employees at one of the nation's largest ports claimed nearly $200,000 in questionable expenses in 2011, and officials are trying to determine if the spending violated federal and state laws. The charges to credit cards issued by the Port of Oakland included Tiffany sterling silver key rings, pricey hotel rooms, U2 concert tickets, perfumes and season ...

Bay Area crab fleet ends strike after price deal

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - San Francisco area crab fishermen are ending their nearly weeklong strike after reaching an agreement with fish brokers over price. KTVU-TV reports (that the two sides agreed Tuesday on $3 per pound, ending the stalemate that kept boats in harbor and local crab off of market shelves. Larry Collins, president of the Crab Boat ...

Bay Area briefs

COUPLE PICKS UP CUSTOMERS' TABS AT LIVERMORE WALMART: LIVERMORE (AP) - Christmas came early for some shoppers at a Walmart in Livermore.

State taxes coming in $4B above forecast

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California is on track to collect $4 billion more in personal income taxes than Gov. Jerry Brown had expected, giving a potential boost to education funding, the legislative analyst's office said Tuesday.

Los Angeles settles with women fired on in manhunt

Davis man spends week in wilderness on pine nuts

Burger King delivers it your way in San Francisco & LA

Bay Area briefs

WOMAN UNINJURED AFTER BART TRAIN PASSES OVER HER: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A woman escaped uninjured after a commuter train passed over her but did not hit her on tracks at a San Francisco station, transit officials said.

NY's Weiner back on Twitter 2 years after his disgrace

State news briefs

SF police chief wants more cameras

LA would have key role in tunnel construction

SF: Were patients dumped by Nevada?

Bay Area briefs

WOMAN CONVICTED IN HUEY LEWIS CAR THEFT: MILL VALLEY (AP) - A woman will be sentenced in May in Northern California for the theft of a rental car and laptop from singer Huey Lewis.

Bill bans teen drivers from hands-free texting

State Senate OKs spending $24M for gun seizures

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