Bill calls for vote on greater campaign disclosure

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California voters would get a chance to decide whether they favor greater disclosure about donors in campaign advertising under a bill that passed the state Assembly Monday. Among other things, AB1648 would force corporations to include logos on the ads they fund and require third-party committees to disclose their donors on websites. Political mailers would ...

California considers farmworker overtime bill

Huge wildfire burns to edge of 3 small towns in Northern California

NASA picks another Mars flight to explore core

LAPD probes excessive-force claim in video arrest of black skateboarder

Assembly resolution supports illegal immigrant's bid to become a lawyer

Bay Area briefs

Rare Mercedes fetches $10.7 million at auction

State parks sought to spend extra money

SACRAMENTO (AP) - The state Department of Parks and Recreation searched for ways to spend extra money every year despite facing the threat of park closures and forgoing upkeep at its 278 properties, a newspaper reported Sunday.

Calif. protests court order for inmate reduction

SACRAMENTO . (AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown's administration is protesting a federal court order to provide a timetable for releasing prison inmates to ease overcrowding at state prisons.

Tougher heat rules for farmworkers?

FRESNO (AP) - With temperatures in the Central Valley recently surpassing 110 degrees and state regulators investigating two possible heat-related deaths in the fields, the California legislature is considering new laws that would strengthen rules for protecting farmworkers from heat.

Special needs kids stay in traditional schools

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The high cost of educating students with special needs is disproportionately falling on traditional public schools as other students increasingly opt for alternatives that aren't always readily open to those requiring special education.

State news briefs

• STATE MULLS DRIVER'S LICENSES FOR YOUNG MIGRANTS: SACRAMENTO (AP) - The California Department of Motor Vehicles is uncertain whether to issue driver's licenses to young immigrants who obtain temporary residency under President Obama's reprieve program.

State news briefs

WASHINGTON MOVES TO RECYCLE TRANSPORT FUNDS IN CA: LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Obama administration wants to recycle $43 million in unspent highway funds in California.

Twice recalled councilman giving it another try

FULLERTON (AP) - A twice-recalled Southern California councilman is giving it another try. Former Fullerton Councilman Don Bankhead is one of three council members ousted in June in the wake of an uproar over the way the city handled a fatal confrontation between police officers and a mentally ill homeless man. Bankhead is now among 12 candidates vying ...

Brown seeks special session on health care reform issues before year’s end

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