Civil rights groups object to 49ers stadium deals

SANTA CLARA (AP) - A coalition of civil rights groups has objected to the racial breakdown of companies working on the new San Francisco 49ers stadium in Santa Clara, saying they have not found any minority-owned companies among the contractors and subcontractors that have been hired to work on the $1.2 billion stadium. In a letter to the city of Santa Clara, ...

Dangerous wildfire season predicted

Bay Area briefs

SUSPECT WHO ALLEGEDLY KILLED MAN OVER MUSIC CAUGHT: RICHMOND (AP) - A Contra Costa County man who eluded capture for four years after allegedly shooting his neighbor to death in a dispute over loud music has been arraigned on murder charges.

State bill would let legal non-citizens serve on juries

Funding plan would mean cuts to NorCal courts

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The state Judicial Council is weighing a new formula for distributing more than $1 billion in state funding for California's 58 trial courts that would take money from some court systems and give it to rural and fast-growing counties such as Riverside and San Bernardino. Santa Clara County would be the biggest loser in the San Francisco Bay ...

Transit app can estimate crowds on BART trains

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Commuters might be able to avoid crowded trains - or at least find slightly less crowded ones - with a glance at their smartphones. Bay Area Rapid Transit has added a feature to its online trip planner showing an icon that represents estimated crowding on its trains, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Thursday. <p style="line-height: 18pt; background: ...

Senate advances bill to tax Internet sales

Racist video stirs anger on UC Irvine campus

IRVINE (AP) - The University of California, Irvine, is investigating a video that shows a member of an Asian-American fraternity dancing in blackface after the clip sparked outrage on campus, a university official said Thursday. The video shows members of Lambda Theta Delta dancing to the Justin Timberlake song "Suit & Tie" as they get dressed up in suits and dark sunglasses. ...

SF firefighter makes $221,000 in OT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Some San Francisco firefighters are raking in six-figure overtime paychecks because of staffing shortages that have department managers scheduling numerous extra shifts, a newspaper reported. A lieutenant at Station 39 on Portola Avenue collected $221,000 in overtime last year, raising his total salary to $363,000, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. A paramedic-firefighter at Station 51 in the ...

State news briefs

GOODWILL AGREES TO SETTLE SOCAL SEX BIAS CASE: LOS ANGELES (AP) - Goodwill Industries of Southern California has agreed to settle federal allegations that it discriminated against men in hiring.

L.A. tops cities with worst traffic

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles has the worst traffic in the nation and it's gotten worse as the economy improves, according to a report released Wednesday. Because of congestion, the average motorist in the Los Angeles metropolitan area spent an extra 59 hours in traffic during 2012, according to a national scorecard from traffic information firm INRIX. <p style="line-height: 18pt; background: ...

209 News

PIT BULLS KILL NEARLY 200 GOATS: FRENCH CAMP - Concerned residents and workers at a French Camp livestock auction yard are worried that a pack of pit bulls will return to attack their animals.

Bolts on Bay Bridge that haven't failed may go

OAKLAND (AP) - Long seismic safety bolts on the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge that haven't failed may have to be replaced nonetheless, a regional transportation official said Wednesday.

State news briefs

GROCER TRIES TO PROFIT OFF BOTCHED BURGLARY: REDDING (AP) - A Northern California grocery store owner is trying to profit from a suspected thief's botched burglary attempt that was caught on video and went viral.

2 a.m. still last call for alcohol in California

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California lawmakers have rejected a bill that would have permitted bartenders to serve drinks until 4 a.m., two hours later than the current last call for alcohol. Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, had said the extended hours would draw tourists, create jobs and help California cities compete with New York, Las Vegas, Miami and other areas that serve alcohol ...

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.

Arrest in shooting at Vallejo Little League game

Daycare owners arraigned in swaddling case

State declines to update campaign data online

Perry disgusted by explosion cartoon

First confirmed Japanese tsunami debris in Calif.

209 News

WILD DOG KILLED BY DEPUTIES: FRENCH CAMP - One of the dogs which may have killed dozens of goats at a French Camp livestock auction yard recently was killed Friday.