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.

Vulnerable inmates ordered out of 2 Central Valley prisons

Nesting swallows could delay Petaluma bridge work

State news briefs

SANTA CLARA THREATENS AMBULANCE TERMINATION: SAN JOSE. (AP) - Santa Clara County officials are threatening to terminate the contract of an ambulance company that they say has repeatedly responded too slowly to emergencies.

Killer on the loose: Valley Springs on lockdown

Lawmakers consider moratorium on oil fracking in San Joaquin Valley

3 divers killed over weekend abalone diving off California

SF Bay Bridge has bolts similar to banned bolts

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge has more than 1,200 bolts made from galvanized steel that is virtually identical to a high-strength alloy that a nationwide group of transportation officials banned for use on bridges because the bolts can crack, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday.

Fatal stabbing of girl, 8, prompts manhunt

VALLEY SPRINGS (AP) - Residents of a rural Northern California county were being told Sunday to keep their doors locked and report anyone considered suspicious as authorities continued the search for the killer of an 8-year-old girl.

Some are overlooked in overhaul

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Carlos Gonzalez has lived nearly all his 29 years in a country he considers home but now finds himself on the wrong side of the border - and the wrong side of a proposed overhaul of the U.S. immigration system that would grant legal status to millions of people.

California weighs first state ban on lead ammo

SACRAMENTO (AP) - In November, one of the oldest condors in Central California died from lead poisoning after being found with tiny bullet fragments and a .22-caliber slug in his gullet that he apparently swallowed with a mouthful of meat.

Rolling Stones rock small LA club

LOS ANGELES (AP) - For one night only, the Rolling Stones were an up-and-coming band again.

OC officials keep inmate alive they want to ultimately execute

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - A man charged with raping and killing a woman 30 years ago is being kept alive in Orange County with dialysis treatments until officials can win permission to execute him.

Bills aim to protect privacy in drone age

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California lawmakers are attempting to stay ahead of science fiction-style technology as increasingly nimble unmanned aircraft are considered for use in tracking fleeing suspects and monitoring crowded public spaces.