Woman killed, second hurt in sidewalk crash

WALNUT CREEK (AP) - A Southern California woman was killed, a second woman was hospitalized and a Walnut Creek motorist faces charges after a pickup truck jumped a curb and hit the two women on a Walnut Creek sidewalk, police said.

GOP nominee Ryan extols free enterprise in Fresno

FRESNO (AP) - Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan extolled the values of free enterprise and self-determination at a Fresno fundraising dinner Saturday as he swept through California during a western campaign swing.

State news briefs

• FIERY CAR CRASH INTO LA PIZZERIA KILLS 3 PEOPLE: LOS ANGELES (AP) - Authorities say a car has crashed into a pizzeria in Los Angeles, killing three people and triggering a blaze.

Sonoma winery to resume wine-making in old buildings

SONOMA (AP) - Jean-Charles Boisset, new owner of California's oldest premium winery, is building the future of 155-year-old Buena Vista Winery on its rich and eclectic heritage.

State news briefs

MAN PLEADS NO CONTEST TO CHOKING PELICAN AT MALIBU: LOS ANGELES (AP) - A transient pleaded no contest to misdemeanor animal cruelty for choking a brown pelican to death near Malibu Pier.

West Nile virus kills woman in Merced County

MERCED (AP) - A Merced County woman has become the fourth person in the state to die of West Nile virus this year. Health officials said Thursday that the 86-year-old woman died this month after becoming infected in August. There have been three other West Nile virus-related deaths in the state in 2012: an elderly Fresno County woman, ...

Quake shakes the 90210, rattling Beverly Hills

No charges in investigation into Lee's campaign

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Prosecutors won't file criminal charges in the case of a property management firm accused of laundering thousands of dollars in contributions to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee's election campaign last year. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to support charges. The case had centered around $4,500 in contributions ...

Colusa County wildfires grow, 23 homes in danger

Man pleads guilty in friend's grisly death

CRESCENT CITY (AP) - A Northern California mixed-martial artist accused of ripping out his friend's heart and removing his tongue while the two were on hallucinogenic drugs has pleaded guilty to murder and mayhem charges. Jarrod Wyatt of Crescent City agreed to a plea deal in which he will serve 50 years to life in prison, Del Norte County prosecutors said. His ...

3rd hantavirus death linked to outbreak tied to tent cabins in Yosemite Valley

YOSEMITE (AP) - A West Virginian is the third person to die so far from a rodent-borne illness linked to some tent cabins at Yosemite National Park that has now stricken eight people in all, health officials said Thursday.

State news briefs

SAN DIEGO PARAPLEGIC SKATEBOARDER CRUSHED BY TRUCK: SAN DIEGO (AP) - Police say a 36-year-old paraplegic riding a skateboard on his stomach while hanging onto the undercarriage of a tractor-trailer rig is hospitalized in critical condition after he was crushed by the truck's wheels.

Father: Shooting suspect in death of CHP officer on Bay Area freeway had mental issues

MARTINEZ (AP) - The suspect accused of fatally shooting a California Highway Patrol officer during a traffic stop on a San Francisco Bay area freeway had been treated for mental health problems, his father said. Doctors diagnosed Christopher Boone Lacy as bipolar and put him on lithium during a hospital stay after he suffered a psychotic break while attending San Francisco State ...

Remains ID'd as teen missing since 1968

SAN BERNARDINO (AP) - Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Ernstein was walking home from school when she vanished on March 19, 1968. Law enforcement and volunteers searched for the girl for months but came up empty-handed, and the mystery of her widely reported disappearance endured for more than four decades. This year, a renewed investigation by cold case detectives determined through ...

California saves $85M under Jerry Brown travel ban

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown's travel ban has saved California taxpayers at least $85 million since he took office, state officials announced Thursday. The governor's office released travel figures showing the state spent $144 million during Brown's first fiscal year in office compared to $229 million during former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's final year in office for a 37 percent reduction. <p ...

Plastic ocean debris bill dies in committee

Bill would treat e-cigarettes like other tobacco

State Senate election might be headed to runoff in 16th district

LA sanitation ends plans for dump near Joshua Tree