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

Feinstein calls for fed probe into gas price spike AC

Earthquake swarm puts California town on edge

BRAWLEY (AP) - A series of small to moderate earthquakes that shattered windows and knocked trailer homes off their foundations is putting people in this small farming town 100 miles east of San Diego on edge as they continue to feel jolts that scientists said could last for days. Hundreds of quakes shook Imperial County Sunday and were felt in surrounding counties. ...

Bill would prohibit ticket-buying software

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Music and sports fans would have one less obstacle in buying tickets to popular events under a bill advancing through the California Legislature. Legislation by Democratic Assemblyman Richard Pan of Sacramento would prohibit the use of robotic ticket-buying software. Supporters of AB329 say scalpers use the software to bombard online box offices and then resell tickets at higher prices. Lawmakers previously deleted a provision that would have allowed transfers of paperless event ...

Professor assigns students to make ad for his campaign

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A San Francisco State University professor considering a run for Oakland mayor is drawing scrutiny for a class assignment that asked students to create a political campaign ad and gave them the option of developing it for him. Joe Tuman said he would use the ad if it were good, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Thursday. But ethics experts said any such use of the students' work could run afoul ...

Bay Area briefs

SWALLOWS LAWSUIT MAY DELAY PETALUMA BRIDGE WORK : PETALUMA (AP) - A lawsuit accuses state and federal regulators of causing the death of dozens of migratory cliff swallows by placing nets on a Sonoma County bridge during a highway widening project.

State releases health reform plans, pricing