Secret buyouts at state parks HQ

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A high-ranking official at the California Department of Parks and Recreation carried out a secret vacation buyout program last year for himself and other employees at the department's headquarters, just as the agency was planning to close 70 state parks due to budget cuts.

State news briefs

CALIFORNIA TOBACCO TAX SUPPORTERS CALL FOR RECOUNT: SACRAMENTO (AP) - Tobacco tax supporters want a recount of ballots in parts of Los Angeles County to see if California's barely-defeated Proposition 29 might swing the other way.

Next SF target: Banning plastic water bottles

Feds to reroute SF Bay ships to protect whales

Two-thirds of voters cast ballots by mail

Solar storm barreling toward Earth this weekend

Oscar-winning producer Richard Zanuck dies

Gov. calls in more resources for north state blaze

FORESTHILL (AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday called in more firefighters and the California National Guard to help battle a Placer County wildfire that has forced the evacuation of 300 people. Brown said he is sending in a state incident management team to help coordinate the attack on the Robbers Fire, which has grown to nearly two square miles and threatens ...

209 News

2 infants contract salmonella in Modesto : MODESTO . (AP) - The California Department of Public Health is investigating after two babies contracted salmonella poisoning while at a Stanislaus County hospital, county officials said Wednesday. The first infant salmonella case at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto was reported on April 19, and the second case on May ...

State news briefs

NEW SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT USED COPS AS CHAUFFEURS: MCCLELLAN, (AP) - A newly-elected Northern California school board president reportedly used police officers to chauffeur him on personal trips and errands.

California teacher pension posts low investment return, adds to shortfall

Wet Seal workers sue retailer for discrimination

80 homes evacuated in Placer County due to fast moving fire instep terrain

FORESTHILL (AP) - About 300 people in Placer County remained under evacuation orders as a fire burning in a steep, heavily wooded area grew in size and intensity Thursday, fueled by hot weather and wind. About 80 homes and structures were threatened by the blaze, and evacuated residents were staying at a Red Cross center in Foresthill, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman ...

Bay Area briefs

ATTORNEY HIRED IN FIGHT OVER 49ERS STADIUM FUNDS: SANTA CLARA (AP) - A Santa Clara County board has hired a lawyer to defend its decision to pull $30 million in taxpayer funds from the San Francisco 49ers stadium project.

So. Cal to swap some heat for thunderstorms

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.