Union pans use of guard for Santa Clara County supervisor at taxpayer expense

SAN JOSE (AP) - Sheriff's officials are being criticized for a program that provided a county supervisor with a bodyguard at taxpayer expense in Santa Clara County. The bodyguard was assigned to Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President George Shirakawa in February, although he says he has not received any direct threats. Sheriff Laurie Smith's office said ...

State lawmaker promises fix after Israel flap

Law restricts pension cuts for existing workers; PERS unfunded by $100B

NorCal wildfire expected to be fully contained

Police: 100-year-old driver hits 11 near South Los Angeles elementary school

Yosemite officials say 1,700 visitors at risk for disease

YOSEMITE (AP) - The rustic tent cabins of Yosemite National Park - a favorite among families looking to rough it in one of the nation's most majestic settings - have become the scene of a public health crisis after two visitors died from a rodent-borne disease following overnight stays.

State news briefs

CURIOSITY BEAMS NEW WILL.I.AM SONG FROM MARS: PASADENA . (AP) - Will.i.am has premiered his new single - from Mars.

Prosecutors reject burglary case against Lohan

Bill would protect clergy from gay weddings

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Religious officials who do not want to perform gay weddings will not have to worry about jeopardizing their nonprofit status if a bill approved by the state Assembly becomes California law. SB1140 seeks to allay concerns from clergy that if gay marriage is legalized, they could be forced to perform gay weddings that contradict their religious beliefs. <p style="line-height: ...

Red flag alert may hinder 2 NorCal fires

California cellphone fines could rise under bill

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown will consider a bill that would raise the fine for illegally using a cellphone while driving in California from $20 to $30. But the real cost for a first offense under the bill approved Tuesday by the state Senate would climb from about $160 to about $200, when court fees are included. <p style="line-height: 18pt; background: ...

Lawmakers denounce anti-Semitism at California colleges & universities

Brown gets partial reform win Overall proposal angers labor leaders

Mangoes sicken 73 in California with salmonella

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California public health officials are investigating a foodborne illness outbreak that has sickened 73 people and has been linked to salmonella-tainted mangoes. Authorities say they are still probing what prompted the outbreak of salmonella Braenderup cases in California. They are trying to identify which specific mango brands or sources might be tied to the illnesses. <p style="line-height: 18pt; background: ...

Comparing pension plans: What Brown wanted and got

Bay Area briefs

NO BACKPACKS ALLOWED AT 2013 BAY TO BREAKERS IN SF: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - No backpacks, large bags or containers will be allowed at this year's Bay to Breakers footrace in San Francisco as officials heighten security in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings.

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.